Untitled Document

Domain Name Registration Agreement

EXHIBIT A
Registration Agreement

1. In this Registration Agreement ("Agreement"), "Registrant", "you" and "your" refers to the Registrant of each domain name registration, "we", "us" and "our" refers to Tucows.com Co., and "Services" refers to the domain name registration services provided by us as offered through _____________________________________, the Registration Service Provider ("Reseller"). Any reference to a "registry," "Registry" or "Registry Operator" shall refer to the registry administrator of the applicable TLD or ccTLD. This Agreement explains our obligations to you, and explains your obligations to us for the Services. By agreeing to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, you are also agreeing to be bound by the rules and regulations set forth by a registry for that particular registry only.

2. SELECTION OF A DOMAIN NAME. You acknowledge and agree that we cannot guarantee that you will obtain a desired domain name registration, even if an inquiry indicates that a domain name is available at the time of your application for same. You represent that, to the best of the your knowledge and belief, neither the registration of the domain name nor the manner in which it is directly or indirectly to be used, infringes upon the legal rights of a third party and further, that the domain name is not being registered for nor shall it at any time whatsoever be used for any unlawful purpose.

3. FEES. As consideration for the Services, you agree to pay Reseller the applicable service(s) fees prior to the effectiveness of a desired domain name registration or any renewal thereof. All fees payable hereunder are non-refundable even if your domain name registration is suspended, cancelled or transferred prior to the end of your current registration term. As further consideration for the Services, you agree to: (1) provide certain current, complete and accurate information about you as required by the registration process, and (2) maintain and update this information as needed to keep it current, complete and accurate. All such information shall be referred to as account information ("Account Information"). You represent that the Account Information and all other statements put forth in your application are true, complete and accurate. Both Tucows and each registry reserves the right to terminate your domain name registration if: (i) information provided by you or your agent is false, inaccurate, incomplete, unreliable, misleading or otherwise secretive; or (ii) you have failed to maintain, update and keep your Account Information true, current, complete, accurate and reliable. You acknowledge that a breach of this Section 3 will constitute a material breach of our Agreement which will entitle either us or a registry to terminate this Agreement immediately upon such breach without any refund and without notice to you.

4. TERM. This Agreement will remain in effect during the term of your domain name registration as selected, recorded and paid for at the time of registration or any renewal thereof. Should the domain name be transferred to another registrar, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall cease.

5. MODIFICATIONS TO AGREEMENT. You acknowledge that the practice of registering and administering domain names is constantly evolving; therefore, you agree that Tucows may modify this Agreement, or any other related and/or applicable agreement, as is necessary to comply with its agreements with ICANN, a registry or any other entity or individual, as well as to adjust to changing circumstances. Your continued use of the domain name registered to you will constitute your acceptance of this Agreement with any revisions. If you do not agree to any change, you may request that your domain name registration be cancelled or transferred to a different accredited registrar. You agree that such cancellation or request for transfer will be your exclusive remedy if you do not wish to abide by any change to this Agreement, or any other related and/or applicable agreement.

6. MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR ACCOUNT. In order to change any of your account information with us, you must use the Account Identifier and Password that you selected when you opened your account with us. You agree to safeguard your Account Identifier and Password from any unauthorized use. In no event shall we be liable for the unauthorized use or misuse of your Account Identifier or Password.

7. NO GUARANTY. You acknowledge that registration or reservation of your chosen domain name does not confer immunity from objection to the registration, reservation or use of the domain name.

8. DOMAIN NAME DISPUTES. You agree that, if the registration or reservation of your domain name is challenged by a third party, you will be subject to the provisions specified in the dispute policy adopted by the applicable registry. You agree that in the event a domain name dispute arises with any third party, you will indemnify and hold us harmless pursuant to the terms and conditions contained in the applicable policy. If Tucows is notified that a complaint has been filed with a judicial or administrative body regarding your domain name, Tucows may, at its sole discretion, suspend your ability to use your domain name or to make modifications to your registration records until (i) Tucows is directed to do so by the judicial or administrative body, or (ii) Tucows receives notification by you and the other party contesting your domain that the dispute has been settled. Furthermore, you agree that if you are subject to litigation regarding your registration or use of your domain name, Tucows may deposit control of your registration record into the registry of the judicial body by supplying a party with a registrar certificate from us.

9. POLICY. You agree that your registration of the domain name shall be subject to suspension, cancellation, or transfer pursuant to a Tucows, registry, ICANN or government-adopted policy, or pursuant to any registrar or registry procedure not inconsistent with a Tucows, registry, ICANN or government-adopted policy, (1) to correct mistakes by us or a registry in registering the name or (2) for the resolution of disputes concerning the domain name.

10. AGENCY. Should you intend to license use of a domain name to a third party you shall nonetheless be the domain name holder of record and are therefore responsible for providing your own full contact information and for providing and updating accurate technical and administrative contact information adequate to facilitate timely resolution of any problems that arise in connection with the domain name. You shall accept liability for harm caused by wrongful use of the domain name. You represent that you will secure the agreement of any third party to the terms and conditions in this Agreement

11. ANNOUNCEMENTS. We reserve the right to distribute information to you that is pertinent to the quality or operation of our services and those of our service partners. These announcements will be predominately informative in nature and may include notices describing changes, upgrades, new products or other information to add security or to enhance your identity on the Internet.

12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. You agree that our entire liability, and your exclusive remedy, with respect to any Services(s) provided under this Agreement and any breach of this Agreement is solely limited to the amount you paid for the initial registration of your domain name. Tucows and its directors, employees, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents and third party providers, ICANN and the applicable registries shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages resulting from the use or inability to use any of the Services or for the cost of procurement of substitute services. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states, our liability is limited to the extent permitted by law. We disclaim any and all loss or liability resulting from, but not limited to: (1) loss or liability resulting from access delays or access interruptions; (2) loss or liability resulting from data non-delivery or data mis-delivery; (3) loss or liability resulting from acts of God; (4) loss or liability resulting from the unauthorized use or misuse of your account identifier or password; (5) loss or liability resulting from errors, omissions, or misstatements in any and all information or services(s) provided under this Agreement; (6) loss or liability resulting from the interruption of your Service. You agree that we will not be liable for any loss of registration and use of your domain name, or for interruption of business, or any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind (including lost profits) regardless of the form of action whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or otherwise, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

13. INDEMNITY. You agree to release, indemnify, and hold Tucows, its contractors, agents, employees, officers, directors and affiliates, ICANN, the applicable registries and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates harmless from all liabilities, claims and expenses, including attorney's fees, of third parties arising out of or relating to the registration or use of the domain name registered in your name , whether used by yourself, licensed to a third party or pursuant to the Whois Privacy Service, including without limitation infringement by you or a third party with access to your Account Identifier and Password. You also agree to release, indemnify and hold us harmless pursuant to the terms and conditions contained in the applicable Dispute Policy. When we are threatened with suit by a third party, we may seek written assurances from you concerning your promise to indemnify us; your failure to provide those assurances may be considered by us to be a breach of your Agreement and may result in the suspension or cancellation of your domain name. This indemnification obligation will survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement.

14. TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP. The person named as Registrant on the Whois shall be the registered name holder. The person named as Administrative contact at the time the controlling Account Identifier and Password are secured, shall be deemed the designate of the Registrant with the authority to manage the domain name. You agree that prior to transferring ownership of your domain name to another person (the "Transferee") you shall require the Transferee to agree, in writing to be bound by all the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If the Transferee fails to be bound in a reasonable fashion (as determine by us in our sole discretion) to the terms and conditions in this Agreement, any such transfer will be null and void.

15. BREACH. You agree that failure to abide by any provision of this Agreement, any operating rule or policy or the Dispute Policy provided by us, may be considered by us to be a material breach and that we may provide a written notice, describing the breach, to you. If within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of such notice, you fail to provide evidence, which is reasonably satisfactory to us, that you have not breached your obligations under the Agreement, then we may delete the registration or reservation of your domain name. Any such breach by you shall not be deemed to be excused simply because we did not act earlier in response to that, or any other breach by you.

16. RENEWALS AND FORFEITURE. Domain names are registered for a finite period of time. You will receive reminders immediately prior to the expiration of your registration inviting you to renew your domain name. In the event that you fail to renew your domain name in a timely fashion, your registration will expire and we may, at our discretion, elect to assume the registration and may hold it for our own account, delete it or we may sell it to a third party. If you fail to renew your registration, your domain name may cease to resolve and visitors to your site may be redirected to a default page advising them that the site is no longer in service. If we have elected to renew the registration, you will be entitled to a grace period during which you may purchase the domain name from us. Additional costs may apply.

17. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. You agree that your use of our Services is solely at your own risk. You agree that such Service(s) is provided on an "as is," "as available" basis. We expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We make no warranty that the Services will meet your requirements, or that the Service(s) will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error free; nor do we make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the Service(s) or as to the accuracy or reliability of any information obtained through the Service or that defects in the Service will be corrected. You understand and agree that any material and/or data downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of Service is done at your own discretion and risk and that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of such material and/or data. We make no warranty regarding any goods or services purchased or obtained through the Service or any transactions entered into through the Service. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from us or through the Service shall create any warranty not expressly made herein.

18. INFORMATION. As part of the registration process, you are required to provide us certain information and to update us promptly as such information changes such that our records are current, complete and accurate. You are obliged to provide us the following information:

(a) your name and postal address (or, if different, that of the domain name holder);

(b) the domain name being registered;

(c) the name, postal address, e-mail address, and voice and fax (if available) telephone numbers of the administrative contact for the domain name;

(d) the name, postal address, e-mail address, and voice and fax (if available) telephone numbers of the billing contact for the domain name; and

(e) the name, postal address, e-mail address, and voice and fax (if available) telephone numbers of the technical contact for the domain name.

Any voluntary information we request is collected in order that we can continue to improve the products and services offered to you through your Reseller.

19. DISCLOSURE AND USE OF REGISTRATION INFORMATION. You agree and acknowledge that we will make domain name registration information you provide available to ICANN, to the registry administrators, law enforcement agencies and to other third parties as applicable. You further agree and acknowledge that we may make publicly available, or directly available to third party vendors, some or all, of the domain name registration information you provide, for purposes of inspection (such as through our Whois service) or other purposes as required or permitted by ICANN and applicable laws.

(a) You hereby consent to any and all such disclosures and use of, and guidelines, limits and restrictions on disclosure or use of, information provided by you in connection with the registration of a domain name (including any updates to such information), whether during or after the term of your registration of the domain name. You hereby irrevocably waive any and all claims and causes of action you may have arising from such disclosure or use of your domain name registration information by us.

(b) You may access your domain name registration information in our possession to review, modify or update such information, by accessing our domain manager service, or similar service, made available by us through your Reseller.

(c) We will not process or maintain data about any identified or identifiable natural person that we obtain from you in a way incompatible with the purposes and other limitations which we describe in this Agreement.

(d) We will take reasonable precautions to protect the information we obtain from you from our loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction of that information.

20. OBLIGATION TO MAINTAIN WHOIS. Your wilful provision of inaccurate or unreliable information, your wilful failure promptly to update information provided to us, or any failure to respond to inquiries by us addressed to the email address of the registrant, the administrative, billing or technical contact appearing in the Whois directory with respect to a domain name concerning the accuracy of contact details associated with the registration shall constitute a material breach of this Agreement and be a basis for cancellation of the domain name registration. Any information collected by us concerning an identified or identifiable natural person ("Personal Data") will be used in connection with the registration of your domain name(s) and for the purposes of this Agreement and as required or permitted by ICANN or an applicable registry policy.

21. REVOCATION. We, in our sole discretion, reserve the right to deny, cancel, suspend, transfer or modify any domain name registration to correct a mistake, protect the integrity and stability of the company and any applicable registry, to comply with any applicable laws, government rules, or requirements, requests of law enforcement, in compliance with any dispute resolution process, or to avoid any liability, civil or criminal. You agree that we shall not be liable to you for loss or damages that may result from our refusal to register or cancel, suspend, transfer or modify your domain name registration.

22. INCONSISTENCIES WITH REGISTRY POLICIES. In the event that this Agreement may be inconsistent with any term, condition, policy or procedure of an applicable registry, the term, condition, policy or procedure of the applicable registry shall prevail.

23. NON-WAIVER. Our failure to require performance by you of any provision hereof shall not affect the full right to require such performance at any time thereafter; nor shall the waiver by us of a breach of any provision hereof be taken or held to be a waiver of the provision itself.

24. NOTICES. Any notice, direction or other communication given under this Agreement shall be in writing and given by sending it via e-mail or via regular mail. In the case of e-mail, valid notice shall only have been deemed to be given when an electronic confirmation of delivery has been obtained by the sender. E-mail notification to Tucows must be sent to lhutz@tucows.com. Any notice to you will be sent to the e-mail address provided by you in your Whois record. Any e-mail communication shall be deemed to have been validly and effectively given on the date of such communication, if such date is a business day and such delivery was made prior to 4:00 p.m. EST, otherwise it will be deemed to have been delivered on the next business day. In the case of regular mail notice, valid notice shall be deemed to have been validly and effectively given five (5) business days after the date of mailing Postal notices to Tucows shall be sent to: 
TUCOWS.com Co..
Registrant Affairs Office
96 Mowat Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3M1 CANADA
Attention: Legal Affairs 
and in the case of notification to you shall be sent to the address specified in the "Administrative Contact" in your Whois record.

25. ENTIRETY. You agree that this Agreement, the applicable dispute policy and the rules and policies published by Tucows and any applicable registry or other governing authorities are the complete and exclusive agreement between you and us regarding our Services.

26. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND INTERPRETED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF PROVINCE OF ONTARIO AND THE FEDERAL LAWS OF CANADA APPLICABLE THEREIN WITHOUT REFERENCE TO RULES GOVERNING CHOICE OF LAWS. ANY ACTION RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT MUST BE BROUGHT IN ONTARIO AND YOU IRREVOCABLY CONSENT TO THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS.

27. INFANCY. You attest that you are of legal age to enter into this Agreement.

28. FORCE MAJEURE. You acknowledge and agree that neither we nor the applicable registry shall be responsible for any failures or delays in performing our respective obligations hereunder arising from any cause beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to, acts of God, acts of civil or military authority, fires, wars, riots, earthquakes, storms, typhoons and floods.

29. PRIVACY. Information collected about you is subject to the terms of Tucows' privacy policy, the terms of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Tucows' privacy policy can be found at: http://www.tucows.com/privacy.html

30. CONTROLLING LANGUAGE. In the event that you are reading this Agreement in a language other than the English language, you acknowledge and agree that the English language version hereof shall prevail in case of inconsistency or contradiction in interpretation or translation.

31. TLD'S. The following additional provisions apply to any domain names that you register through Tucows with the various registries:

(a) .com/net Domains: In the case of a ".com" or ".net" registration, the following terms and conditions will apply: 
(i) Submission to UDRP. Registrant agrees to submit to proceedings under ICANN's Uniform Domain Dispute Policy ("UDRP") (http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm) and comply with the requirements set forth by the Registry; these policies are subject to modification;

(ii) For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant's domicile, and (2) where Tucows is located, presently Toronto, Ontario. 
(b) .org Domains: In the case of a ".org" registration, the following terms and conditions will apply: 
(i) Submission to UDRP. Registrant agrees to submit to proceedings under ICANN's Uniform Domain Dispute Policy ("UDRP") (http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm) and comply with the requirements set forth by the Registry. These policies are subject to modification;

(ii) For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant's domicile, and (2) where Tucows is located, presently Toronto, Ontario. 
(c) .info Domains: In the case of a ".info" registration, the following terms and conditions will apply: 
(i) Registrant's Personal Data. You consent to the use, copying, distribution, publication, modification, and other processing of Registrant's personal data by Afilias, the .INFO registry, and its designees and agents, in a manner consistent with the purposes specified pursuant to its contract.

(ii) Submission to UDRP. Registrant agrees to submit to proceedings under ICANN's Uniform Domain Dispute Policy ("UDRP") (http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm) and comply with the requirements set forth by the Registry. These policies are subject to modification;

(iii) For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant's domicile, and (2) where Tucows is located, presently Toronto, Ontario;

(iv) Reservation of Rights. Tucows and Afilias expressly reserve the right to deny, cancel, transfer, or modify any registration that either registrar or Afilias deems necessary, at its discretion, to protect the integrity and stability of the registry, to comply with any applicable law, any government rule or requirement, any request of law enforcement, any dispute resolution process, or to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of the registrar and/or Afilias, as well as their affiliates, subsidiaries, executives, directors, officers, managers, employees, consultants, and agents. The registrar and Afilias also reserve the right to suspend a domain name or its registration data during resolution of a dispute. 
(d) .biz Domains. In the case of a ".biz" registration, the following terms and conditions will apply: 
(i) .biz Restrictions. Registrations in the .biz top-level domain must be used or intended to be used primarily for bona fide business or commercial purposes. For the purposes of the .biz registration restrictions, "bona fide business or commercial use" shall mean the bona fide use or bona fide intent to use the domain name or any content, software, materials, graphics or other information thereon, to permit Internet users to access one or more host computers through the DNS: 
(A) to exchange goods, services, or property of any kind;

(B) in the ordinary course of business; or

(C) to facilitate (i) the exchange of goods, services, information or property of any kind; or (ii) the ordinary course of trade or business. 
For more information on the .biz restrictions, which are incorporated herein by reference, please see: http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/biz/registry-agmt-appl-18apr01.htm.

(ii) Selection of a Domain Name. You represent that: 
(A) the data provided in the domain name registration application is true, correct, up to date and complete, and that you will continue to keep all of the information provided correct, up-to-date and complete;

(B) to the best of the your knowledge and belief, neither this registration of a domain name nor the manner in which it is directly or indirectly to be used infringes upon the legal rights of a third party;

(C) that the domain name is not being registered for nor shall it at any time whatsoever be used for any unlawful purpose whatsoever;

(D) the registered domain name will be used primarily for bona fide business or commercial purposes and not (a) exclusively for personal use, or (b) solely for the purposes of (1) selling, trading or leasing the domain name for compensation, or (2) the unsolicited offering to sell, trade or lease the domain name for compensation;

(E) you have the authority to enter into this Registration Agreement; and

(F) the registered domain name is reasonably related to your business or intended commercial purpose at the time of registration. 
(iii) Provision of Registration Data. As part of the registration process, you are required to provide us with certain information and to keep the information true, current, complete, and accurate at all times. The information includes the following: 
(A) your full name;

(B) your postal address;

(D) your voice telephone number;

(E) your fax number (if applicable);

(F) the name of an authorized person for contact purposes in the case of a registrant that is an organization, association, or corporation;

(G) the IP addresses of the primary nameserver and any secondary nameserver for the domain name;

(H) the corresponding names of the primary and secondary nameservers;

(I) the full name, postal address, e-mail address, voice telephone number, and, when available, fax number of the administrative, technical, and billing contacts, and the name holder for the domain name; and

(J) any remark concerning the domain name that should appear in the Whois directory.

(K) You agree and understand that the foregoing registration data will be publicly available and accessible on the Whois directory as required by ICANN and/or registry policies, and may be sold in bulk in accordance with the ICANN agreement. 
(iv) Domain Name Disputes. You acknowledge having read and understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of the following documents, as they may be amended from time to time, which are hereby incorporated and made an integral part of this Agreement: 
(A) The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("Dispute Policy), available at: http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm;

(B) The Restrictions Dispute Resolution Criteria and Rules ("RDRP"), available at: http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/biz/registry-agmt-appm-27apr01.htm; 
(collectively, the "Dispute Policies").

(v) The Dispute Policy sets forth the terms and conditions in connection with a dispute between a Registrant and any party other than the Registry or Registrar over the registration and use of an Internet domain name registered by Registrant.

(vi) The RDRP sets forth the terms under which any allegation that a domain name is not used primarily for business or commercial purposes shall be endorsed on a case-by-case, fact specific basis by an independent ICANN-accredited dispute provider.

(vii) For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant's domicile, and (2) where Tucows is located, presently Toronto, Ontario. 
(e) .name Domains. In the case of a ".name" registration, the following terms and conditions will apply: 
(i) .name Restrictions. Registrations in the .name top-level domain must constitute an individual's "Personal Name". For purposes of the .name restrictions (the "Restrictions"), a "Personal Name" is a person's legal name, or a name by which t

Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy

Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy Policy Adopted: August 26, 1999 Implementation Documents Approved: October 24, 1999 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: 1. This policy is now in effect. See www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-schedule.htm for the implementation schedule. 2. This policy has been adopted by all accredited domain-name registrars for domain names ending in .com, .net, and .org. It has also been adopted by certain managers of country-code top-level domains (e.g., .nu, .tv, .ws). 3. The policy is between the registrar (or other registration authority in the case of a country-code top-level domain) and its customer (the domain-name holder or registrant). Thus, the policy uses "we" and "our" to refer to the registrar and it uses "you" and "your" to refer to the domain-name holder. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (As Approved by ICANN on October 24, 1999) 1. Purpose. This Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy") has been adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), is incorporated by reference into your Registration Agreement, and sets forth the terms and conditions in connection with a dispute between you and any party other than us (the registrar) over the registration and use of an Internet domain name registered by you. Proceedings under Paragraph 4 of this Policy will be conducted according to the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules of Procedure"), which are available at www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-rules-24oct99.htm, and the selected administrative-dispute-resolution service provider's supplemental rules. 2. Your Representations. By applying to register a domain name, or by asking us to maintain or renew a domain name registration, you hereby represent and warrant to us that (a) the statements that you made in your Registration Agreement are complete and accurate; (b) to your knowledge, the registration of the domain name will not infringe upon or otherwise violate the rights of any third party; (c) you are not registering the domain name for an unlawful purpose; and (d) you will not knowingly use the domain name in violation of any applicable laws or regulations. It is your responsibility to determine whether your domain name registration infringes or violates someone else's rights. 3. Cancellations, Transfers, and Changes. We will cancel, transfer or otherwise make changes to domain name registrations under the following circumstances: a. subject to the provisions of Paragraph 8, our receipt of written or appropriate electronic instructions from you or your authorized agent to take such action; b. our receipt of an order from a court or arbitral tribunal, in each case of competent jurisdiction, requiring such action; and/or c. our receipt of a decision of an Administrative Panel requiring such action in any administrative proceeding to which you were a party and which was conducted under this Policy or a later version of this Policy adopted by ICANN. (See Paragraph 4(i) and (k) below.) We may also cancel, transfer or otherwise make changes to a domain name registration in accordance with the terms of your Registration Agreement or other legal requirements. 4. Mandatory Administrative Proceeding. This Paragraph sets forth the type of disputes for which you are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding. These proceedings will be conducted before one of the administrative-dispute-resolution service providers listed at www.icann.org/udrp/approved-providers.htm (each, a "Provider"). a. Applicable Disputes. You are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding in the event that a third party (a "complainant") asserts to the applicable Provider, in compliance with the Rules of Procedure, that (i) your domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the complainant has rights; and (ii) you have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and (iii) your domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith. In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove that each of these three elements are present. b. Evidence of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. For the purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith: (i) circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or (ii) you have registered the domain name in order to prevent the owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern of such conduct; or (iii) you have registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or (iv) by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your web site or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your web site or location or of a product or service on your web site or location. c. How to Demonstrate Your Rights to and Legitimate Interests in the Domain Name in Responding to a Complaint. When you receive a complaint, you should refer to Paragraph 5 of the Rules of Procedure in determining how your response should be prepared. Any of the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be proved based on its evaluation of all evidence presented, shall demonstrate your rights or legitimate interests to the domain name for purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(ii): (i) before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services; or (ii) you (as an individual, business, or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark rights; or (iii) you are making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademark or service mark at issue. d. Selection of Provider. The complainant shall select the Provider from among those approved by ICANN by submitting the complaint to that Provider. The selected Provider will administer the proceeding, except in cases of consolidation as described in Paragraph 4(f). e. Initiation of Proceeding and Process and Appointment of Administrative Panel. The Rules of Procedure state the process for initiating and conducting a proceeding and for appointing the panel that will decide the dispute (the "Administrative Panel"). f. Consolidation. In the event of multiple disputes between you and a complainant, either you or the complainant may petition to consolidate the disputes before a single Administrative Panel. This petition shall be made to the first Administrative Panel appointed to hear a pending dispute between the parties. This Administrative Panel may consolidate before it any or all such disputes in its sole discretion, provided that the disputes being consolidated are governed by this Policy or a later version of this Policy adopted by ICANN. g. Fees. All fees charged by a Provider in connection with any dispute before an Administrative Panel pursuant to this Policy shall be paid by the complainant, except in cases where you elect to expand the Administrative Panel from one to three panelists as provided in Paragraph 5(b)(iv) of the Rules of Procedure, in which case all fees will be split evenly by you and the complainant. h. Our Involvement in Administrative Proceedings. We do not, and will not, participate in the administration or conduct of any proceeding before an Administrative Panel. In addition, we will not be liable as a result of any decisions rendered by the Administrative Panel. i. Remedies. The remedies available to a complainant pursuant to any proceeding before an Administrative Panel shall be limited to requiring the cancellation of your domain name or the transfer of your domain name registration to the complainant. j. Notification and Publication. The Provider shall notify us of any decision made by an Administrative Panel with respect to a domain name you have registered with us. All decisions under this Policy will be published in full over the Internet, except when an Administrative Panel determines in an exceptional case to redact portions of its decision. k. Availability of Court Proceedings. The mandatory administrative proceeding requirements set forth in Paragraph 4 shall not prevent either you or the complainant from submitting the dispute to a court of competent jurisdiction for independent resolution before such mandatory administrative proceeding is commenced or after such proceeding is concluded. If an Administrative Panel decides that your domain name registration should be canceled or transferred, we will wait ten (10) business days (as observed in the location of our principal office) after we are informed by the applicable Provider of the Administrative Panel's decision before implementing that decision. We will then implement the decision unless we have received from you during that ten (10) business day period official documentation (such as a copy of a complaint, file-stamped by the clerk of the court) that you have commenced a lawsuit against the complainant in a jurisdiction to which the complainant has submitted under Paragraph 3(b)(xiii) of the Rules of Procedure. (In general, that jurisdiction is either the location of our principal office or of your address as shown in our Whois database. See Paragraphs 1 and 3(b)(xiii) of the Rules of Procedure for details.) If we receive such documentation within the ten (10) business day period, we will not implement the Administrative Panel's decision, and we will take no further action, until we receive (i) evidence satisfactory to us of a resolution between the parties; (ii) evidence satisfactory to us that your lawsuit has been dismissed or withdrawn; or (iii) a copy of an order from such court dismissing your lawsuit or ordering that you do not have the right to continue to use your domain name. 5. All Other Disputes and Litigation. All other disputes between you and any party other than us regarding your domain name registration that are not brought pursuant to the mandatory administrative proceeding provisions of Paragraph 4 shall be resolved between you and such other party through any court, arbitration or other proceeding that may be available. 6. Our Involvement in Disputes. We will not participate in any way in any dispute between you and any party other than us regarding the registration and use of your domain name. You shall not name us as a party or otherwise include us in any such proceeding. In the event that we are named as a party in any such proceeding, we reserve the right to raise any and all defenses deemed appropriate, and to take any other action necessary to defend ourselves. 7. Maintaining the Status Quo. We will not cancel, transfer, activate, deactivate, or otherwise change the status of any domain name registration under this Policy except as provided in Paragraph 3 above. 8. Transfers During a Dispute. a. Transfers of a Domain Name to a New Holder. You may not transfer your domain name registration to another holder (i) during a pending administrative proceeding brought pursuant to Paragraph 4 or for a period of fifteen (15) business days (as observed in the location of our principal place of business) after such proceeding is concluded; or (ii) during a pending court proceeding or arbitration commenced regarding your domain name unless the party to whom the domain name registration is being transferred agrees, in writing, to be bound by the decision of the court or arbitrator. We reserve the right to cancel any transfer of a domain name registration to another holder that is made in violation of this subparagraph. b. Changing Registrars. You may not transfer your domain name registration to another registrar during a pending administrative proceeding brought pursuant to Paragraph 4 or for a period of fifteen (15) business days (as observed in the location of our principal place of business) after such proceeding is concluded. You may transfer administration of your domain name registration to another registrar during a pending court action or arbitration, provided that the domain name you have registered with us shall continue to be subject to the proceedings commenced against you in accordance with the terms of this Policy. In the event that you transfer a domain name registration to us during the pendency of a court action or arbitration, such dispute shall remain subject to the domain name dispute policy of the registrar from which the domain name registration was transferred. 9. Policy Modifications. We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time with the permission of ICANN. We will post our revised Policy at <URL> at least thirty (30) calendar days before it becomes effective. Unless this Policy has already been invoked by the submission of a complaint to a Provider, in which event the version of the Policy in effect at the time it was invoked will apply to you until the dispute is over, all such changes will be binding upon you with respect to any domain name registration dispute, whether the dispute arose before, on or after the effective date of our change. In the event that you object to a change in this Policy, your sole remedy is to cancel your domain name registration with us, provided that you will not be entitled to a refund of any fees you paid to us. The revised Policy will apply to you until you cancel your domain name registration. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments concerning the layout, construction and functionality of this site should be sent to webmaster@icann.org. Page Updated 17-May-2002 ©2000, 2002 The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. All rights reserved.