Afilias Strengthens .Info Registration Policy

• By theWHIR.com , October 03, 2001

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October 3, 2001 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Afilias (afilias.com) announced today that it hasstrengthened its Sunrise policies and challenge process of the Sunriseregistration system, designed to protect intellectual property in therollout of .info domains. These include revisions to the existing SunriseChallenge policy as well as additional policy enhancements.

"Afilias is eager to ensure that the Sunrise registration process is aneffective test bed from which to learn how intellectual property can beadequately protected during the rollout of a new top-level domain," said HalLubsen, Afilias' CEO. "With some strategic enhancements to our policies webelieve we will be able to clear the .info domain of Sunrise registrationsthat were improperly submitted."

First, Afilias will strengthen its Sunrise Challenge policy by requiringanyone wanting to register a successfully challenged Sunrise name to produceproof of their valid trademark. This policy change, which was posted twoweeks ago and became effective today, was made in accordance with Afilias'agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (wipo.org), themanager of the expedited dispute process for .info.

Second, Afilias will also offer registrars the ability to correct some WHOISdata and request deletions of domain names. Afilias' initial Sunrise policyrequired all registrants who participated in the Sunrise registration periodto have a valid trademark of national effect prior to Oct. 2, 2000 andsubmit the corresponding information at registration. As a tool to battlecybersquatters who resell names quickly, Afilias locked these registrationsfor 180 days to both secure the data and ensure that no domains avoidedscrutiny under the subsequent challenge process.

The ability to correct and delete records will be facilitated through theintroduction of two databases that will parallel the existing WHOISdirectory of .info names. One of the new databases will now allow registrarsto correct certain contact and trademark information that was incorrectlysubmitted. The other will allow registrants whose domains may have beenimproperly submitted during the Sunrise process to request that their domainnames be deleted. Registrars will be able to submit these changes on behalfof Sunrise registrants.

In August of this year, Afilias also announced it would exercise its rightsunder the Sunrise Challenge process and submit a bulk challenge againstremaining Sunrise names that appear to be facially invalid. The introductionof these auxiliary databases strengthens Afilias' ability to submit thisbulk challenge by narrowing the number of names that it will need toconsider. Afilias will release a list of names being considered prior toissuing its bulk challenge. Names that are successfully canceled as a resultof Afilias' bulk challenge, as well as requested deletions and other namesthat may have been canceled due to challenge proceedings but that have notbeen registered, will be returned to public availability in early 2002.

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