FW: [council] Looking for information how to change Registrar

[Bruce Tonkin <Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au>]

I asked Ross Rader of Tucows to provide a more detailed response to
Elisabeth's questions:

-----Original Message-----
From: Ross Wm. Rader [mailto:ross@tucows.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:36 PM
To: 'Bruce Tonkin'
Subject: RE: [council] Looking for information how to change Registrar


Elisabeth,

As indicated above, Bruce has been kind enough to pass this message on
to you and the NC list for me. My specific comments concerning your
questions can be found inline below.

> I am a Registrant for some domain names I hold under .com/.net/.org.
> 
> I intend to change my current Registrar to a new one.
> 
> Could you point me, please, to an URL (presumably ICANN 
> or Internic) where a Registrant can get explanation of rules 
> for changing Registrar ?
> 
> Assume that my domain name expires on 1 May 2003.
> 
> 1. When can I ask for transfer and be sure it happens and 
>    my transfer is not locked ? (and I do not pay twice)

A Registrant is entitled to request a transfer of their domain name
anytime any time after the first 60 days following the creation of the
domain name. With that being said, there is a condition that occurs if
you renew a domain name after it has expired and then attempt to
transfer it within 45 days of the expiry. In this case, you will pay for
the renewal (+1 year) and the transfer (+1 year) but only gain the
benefit of +1 year total. This is due to registry policy and the process
by which domain names are auto-renewed. Let me know if you want me to
detail this "loophole" more precisely.

The only other "...instances when the requested change of sponsoring
Registrar may be denied
include, but are not limited to:

1) Situations described in the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy

2) A pending bankruptcy of the Registered Name holder

3) Dispute over the identity of the Registered Name holder

4) Request to transfer sponsorship occurs within the first 60 days after
the
initial registration with the Registrar."

These reasons come from Exhibit B of the Registry/Registrar agreement
that Bruce forwarded to the NC list earlier.


> 
> 2. Is it true that Registrars can apply a rule of 45 or 60 days 
>    to lock a transfer and if yes what is the reason for that 
>    number of days ? (I was told these delays are related to 
>    the US banks rules for credit cards and has nothing to do 
>    with domain names registration).
> 

The only 60 day "lock" supported by ICANN policy is during the first 60
days after the domain name is created. Any other restrictions would
presumably be found in your terms of service agreement with your current
registrar.

> 3. Assume I give an order for transfer to a Registrar A today, 
>    2 September 2002. Is it possible (from rules point of view)
>    that my request be executed in such a way that the day 
>    of expiration does not change (it remains 1 May, the year 
>    will change of course) ?

This typically depends on the way that your new registrar has
implemented renewals and transfers. Most will simply honor the original
creation date and add a year, but some will not honor subscription terms
from the previous registrar and reset your renewal/anniversary date to
the date of the completion of the transfer request plus one year. In
your case, this would mean that your domains would then expire on
September 2, 2003 instead of the original May 1 date. If this is
important to you (and it should be) you should check with the
prospective registrar you wish to transfer to and inquire of their
specific policy.


> 
> 4. The ICANN faq http://www.icann.org/general/faq1.htm indicates:
> 
>        When do I have to pay for my domain name?
> 
>        Before your domain name becomes active, you must provide 
>        a credit card number or other reasonable assurance of payment. 
> 
>    What are other means of payment (besides credit card) ?
>    Do you know if Registrars accept automated bank payment
>    (every year at expiration date) ?
>    It is a basic payment service provided by all service suppliers 
>    in France (water, electricity, land and cell telephones, Internet 
>    access, private schools, ...), used by 60 million people, no bank 
>    fees charged to customers.
> 

Some may, but I am not aware of any specifically - again, this is
something that you should inquire of your prospective registrar.

> 5. As a Registrant (user), and old timer, I used to NIC-handle
>    facility to manage my IP addresses and my domain names.
>    I would like to have control over my NIC-handle(s), i.e.
>    - to have it at least unique within one TLD accross Registrars
>      (or within IP Registry), i.e. Registrar independent
>    - to be able to update my NIC-handle information (user information)
>      and be sure it is done in one shot at least within one TLD
>      accross Registrars space (or within IP Registry);
>      it means that all domain names related to my NIC-handle
>      get updated in one shot
>    - to be able to query a NIC-handle database by NIC-handle
>      (with my password) and get full status information for all domain
>      names I may have under one TLD, with expiration dates,
>      name servers, contracts etc.
> 
>    I believe that without means given to Registrant (user) to
>    facilitate his management, the wishes to have whois information
>    up to date are just hopeless.
> 

NIC handles are registrar specific - I am not aware of any that honor
the Verisign NIC handles. Tucows for instance uses a more transparent
system that involves profiles that hinge on username and passwords. In
our system, domain status for all domains in the registrants profile can
be queried in the manner that you describe, but this information is not
publicly available through a whois service as you imply above. Again,
the answer really depends on the registrar that you choose.

> 6. Do I have a guarantee that my current Registrar is obligated
>    by rule to erase my name from his records the day I am no longer
>    his customer ?

None. This would be registrar specific. Each registrar retains rights in
the data when you transfer away - which means you will likely continue
to receive communications from them and those that they have sold your
information to. Some registrars have very specific "no communication"
policies in place, but there is no clear ICANN policy that governs this
behavior (with the exception of data retention and ownership).

I hope that this has been useful in some small way - please don't
hesitate to drop me a note if I can be of further assistance.

                       -rwr