(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The not-for-profit body responsible for the assignment of domain names and IP addresses has terminated its accreditation agreement with three domain registrars: Hosting365 Inc., OOO (known as “Russian Registrar”) and R.B. Data Net LTD.
According to documents from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (www.icann.org), the three registrars were cut off last week for failing to pay their accreditation fees, which is a requirement of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement, the contract between ICANN and registrars that governs the registration of domain names.
Hosting365 owes ICANN $28,089.20 in past due accreditation fees, Russian Registrar owes $7,914.56, and R.B. Data Net $34,952.84, according to letters sent by ICANN.
To protect registrants, ICANN has initiated a process to identify a qualified and accredited registrar to take over management of the domain names through a bulk transfer. In October, ICANN ordered the bulk transfer of Red Register domain names to DirectNIC (www.directnic.com), after it was found that Red Register had violated several conditions of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement.
Cutting off these three registrars is an indication of ICANN’s increasingly bold moves to keep the Internet free of individuals who shirk their responsibilities as domain registrars. Influential blog Domain Name Wire notes that, while this is a positive development, “it would seem that these enforcement actions should take place before a small registrar racks up $30,000 in past due bills.”
