Domain Name Registration - FAQ's
What is ICANN?
ICANN is the new non-profit corporation that is assuming responsibility from the U.S. Government for coordinating certain Internet technical functions, including the management of Internet domain name system. More information about ICANN can be found at http://www.icann.org.
Someone else has registered my company's name as a domain name. What is the process for resolving my complaint?
All ICANN-accredited registrars follow a uniform dispute resolution policy. Under that policy, disputes over entitlement to a domain-name registration are ordinarily resolved by court litigation between the parties claiming rights to the registration. Once the court rules who is entitled to the registration, the registrar will implement that ruling. In disputes arising from registrations allegedly made abusively (such as "cyber squatting" and cyber piracy"), the uniform policy provides an expedited administrative procedure to allow the dispute to be resolved without the cost and delays often encountered in court litigation. In these cases, you can invoke the administrative procedure by filing a complaint with one of the dispute-resolution service providers listed at http://www.icann.org/udrp/approved-providers.htm. For more details on the uniform dispute resolution policy, see http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp.htm, and the FAQs at http://www.internic.net/faqs/udrp.html.
If I have customer service questions or problems related to my domain name registration, whom should I contact?
You should contact the registrar that registered your domain name.
What are the rules for registration of .biz, .com, .info, .name, .net and .org names?
The .com, .info, .name, .net, and .org TLDs are open and unrestricted. Traditionally, however, names in .net have been used by organizations involved in Internet infrastructure activities and .org is frequently used by noncommercial organizations. .biz is reserved for use by businesses. For more information on .biz restrictions, please contact your registrar or visit the .biz registry operator at www.nic.biz. .name is dedicated exclusively to individuals' personal names.
What are the rules for registration of .aero, .coop, and .museum names?
The .aero, .coop, and .museum TLDs are sponsored TLDs and are designed for use within a specified community. Registration restrictions for these TLDs have been developed by the sponsor with input from the community. For more information on registering names in these TLDs, please contact your registrar or visit the individual registry sites at www.nic.aero, www.nic.coop, or www.nic.museum, respectively.
Are .aero, .biz, .com, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, .net, .org, and .pro domain names available for registration in any country?
Yes, these domains are available for registration by Internet users across the globe; also, ICANN-accredited registrars are located in countries around the world. To view a list of domain name registrars sorted by country, please visit http://www.internic.net/origin.html.
I've seen domain names ending with two-letter combinations, like .uk. What are the rules for registering in these domains?
Two letter domains, such as .uk, .de and .jp (for example), are called country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and correspond to a country, territory, or other geographic location. The rules and policies for registering domain names in the ccTLDs vary significantly and some are reserved for use by citizens of the corresponding country. You should check with the registrar offering ccTLD registration services regarding the specific terms and conditions for registration.
Some ICANN-accredited registrars provide registration services in the ccTLDs in addition to registering names in .aero, .biz, .com, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, .net, .org, and .pro, however, ICANN does not specifically accredit registrars to provide ccTLD registration services.
For more information regarding registering names in ccTLDs, including a complete database of designated ccTLDs and managers, please refer to http://www.iana.org/cctld/cctld.htm
My registrar won't let me transfer my domain, what do I do?
If you're having trouble transferring your domain from one registrar to another, you should contact the registrar you want to transfer to for assistance. If your preferred registrar is having any trouble processing your transfer, your registrar can obtain assistance from ICANN or the registry operator as appropriate.
Registrars are not permitted to deny transfer requests arbitrarily. ICANN has no policy that permits or requires registrars to deny outgoing transfer requests solely because the registration is within X number of days before expiration. In any case where a "losing" registrar does deny a transfer request, it is required to provide the "gaining" registrar with a notice of the denial and a specific reason for the denial.
For your reference, the "Policy on Transfer of Sponsorship of Registrations Between Registrars" is set forth in Exhibit B to the Registry-Registrar Agreement. For details on updates to ICANN's transfer policies, please refer to http://www.icann.org/transfers/
I want a domain that has recently expired, but the registrar won't release it. How can I get the name?
Section 3.7.5 of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement requires registrars to delete domain registrations after a second notice and a grace period, unless there are "extenuating circumstances." Some examples of such "extenuating circumstances" might include ownership disputes, payment disputes, or lame server delegations. Only the registrar would know exactly why it hasn't yet deleted a particular name. No specific dates or deadlines are prescribed in the current provisions.
ICANN has not yet adopted a uniform policy concerning the handling of expired domain names. If you're interested in helping to craft such a policy, you can learn more about ICANN's bottom-up, consensus-based process for making new policies at ICANN's website.
