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OUR POLICIES

Anti-Abuse Policy
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The following policy ("I-REGISTRY Ltd. Anti-Abuse Policy") is announced pursuant to the Registry-Registrar-Agreement ("RRA") and is effective upon thirty days' notice by I-REGISTRY Ltd. ("Registry") to Registrars. Abusive use(s) of .ONL domain names should not be tolerated.

The policy includes the general aspects of anti-abuse, acceptable use and rapid takedown and applies to registrars and registrants of .ONL domain names and defines how the Registry will proceed if abuses that are reported to the Registry. The policy does not replace the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) or Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) or other proceedings for disputes.

The Registry, together with the Registry-Service-Provider, will take the requisite operational and technical steps to promote WHOIS data accuracy, limit domain abuse, remove outdated and inaccurate data, and other security measures to ensure the integrity of the TLD. The specific measures include, but are not limited to a TLD Anti-Abuse Policy that clearly defines abuse, and provide point-of-contact information for reporting suspected abuse, committing to rapid identification and resolution of abuse, including suspensions, ensuring completeness of WHOIS information at the time of registration, publishing and maintaining procedures for removing orphan glue records for names removed from the zone, and establishing measures to deter WHOIS abuse, including rate-limiting, determining data syntax validity, and implementing and enforcing requirements from the Registry-Registrar Agreement.

Acceptable Use of .ONL Domain Names

The Registry intends that no domain name in the .ONL space shall be used in a manner which, infringes any other third parties' rights, is in breach with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements or for the purposes of undertaking any illegal or fraudulent actions, including spam or phishing activities.

Failure to comply with the above provisions may result in the suspension or termination of the domain name registration by the Registry.

Abuses of .ONL Domain Names

The nature of such abuses creates security and stability issues for the Registry, registrars and registrants, as well as for users of the Internet in general. The Registry's definition of abusive use of a .ONL domain name includes, without limitation, the following:

  • Illegal or fraudulent actions;
  • Spam: The use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages. The term applies to email spam and similar abuses such as instant messaging spam, mobile messaging spam, and the spamming of Web sites and Internet forums;
  • Phishing: The use of counterfeit Web pages that are designed to trick recipients into divulging sensitive data such as personally identifying information, usernames, passwords, or financial data;
  • Pharming: The redirecting of unknowing users to fraudulent sites or services, typically through, but not limited to, DNS hijacking or poisoning;
  • Willful distribution of malware: The dissemination of software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. Examples include, without limitation, computer viruses, worms, keyloggers, and Trojan horses.
  • Malicious fast-flux hosting: Use of fast-flux techniques with a botnet to disguise the location of web sites or other Internet services, or to avoid detection and mitigation efforts, or to host illegal activities.
  • Botnet command and control: Services run on a domain name that are used to control a collection of compromised computers or "zombies," or to direct distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS attacks);
  • Distribution of child pornography; and
  • Illegal Access to Other Computers or Networks: Illegally accessing computers, accounts, or networks belonging to another party, or attempting to penetrate security measures of another individual's system (often known as "hacking"). Also, any activity that might be used as a precursor to an attempted system penetration (e.g., port scan, stealth scan, or other information gathering activity).

Rapid Takedown of .ONL Domain Names

The Registry reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction that it deems necessary, in its discretion; (1) to protect the integrity and stability of the Registry; (2) to comply with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements, requests of law enforcement, incompliance with any dispute resolution process; (3) to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of the Registry, as well as its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees; (4) for violations of this Agreement and its Exhibits; or (5) to correct mistakes made by the Registry or any Registrar in connection with a domain name registration. The Registry also reserves the right to place a domain name on hold, lock, or similar status during resolution of a dispute.

If a registrar does not take action within a time period indicated by the Registry (usually 24 hours), the Registry might then decide to take action itself. At all times, the Registry reserves the right to act directly and immediately if the potential harm to Internet users seems significant or imminent, with or without notice to the sponsoring registrar.

The Registry will be prepared to call upon relevant law enforcement bodies as needed. There are certain cases, for example, Illegal pharmacy domains, where the Registry will contact the Law Enforcement Agencies to share information about these domains, provide all the evidence collected and work closely with them before any action will be taken for suspension. The specific action is often dependent upon the jurisdiction of which the Registry, although the operator in all cases will adhere to applicable laws and regulations.

When valid court orders or seizure warrants are received from courts or law enforcement agencies of relevant jurisdiction, the Registry will order execution in an expedited fashion. Compliance with these will be a top priority and will be completed as soon as possible and within the defined timelines of the order. There are certain cases where Law Enforcement Agencies request information about a domain including but not limited to:

  • Registration information
  • History of a domain, including recent updates made
  • Other domains associated with a registrant's account
  • Patterns of registrant portfolio

Requests for such information is handled on a priority basis and sent back to the requestor as soon as possible. The Registry sets a goal to respond to such requests within 24 hours.

The Registry may also engage in proactive screening of its zone for malicious use of the domains in the gTLD, and report problems to the sponsoring registrars. The Registry could take advantage of a combination of the following resources, among others:

  • Blocklists of domain names and name servers published by organizations such as SURBL and Spamhaus.
  • Anti-phishing feeds, which will provide URLs of compromised and maliciously registered domains being used for phishing.
  • Analysis of registration or DNS query data [DNS query data received by the gTLD name servers.]

The Registry will keep records and track metrics regarding abuse and abuse reports. These will include:

  • Number of abuse reports received by the Registry's abuse point of contact described above;
  • Number of cases and domains referred to registrars for resolution;
  • Number of cases and domains where the Registry took direct action;
  • Resolution times;
  • Number of domains in the gTLD that have been blacklisted by major anti-spam blocklist providers, and;
  • Phishing site uptimes in the gTLD

Removal of orphan glue records

By definition, orphan glue records used to be glue records. Glue records are related to delegations and are necessary to guide iterative resolvers to delegated name servers. A glue record becomes an orphan when its parent name server record is removed without also removing the corresponding glue record. (Please reference the ICANN SSAC paper SAC048 here.) Orphan glue records may be created when a domain (example1.tld) is placed on EPP ServerHold or ClientHold status. When placed on Hold, the domain is removed from the zone and will stop resolving. However, any child name servers (now orphan glue) of that domain (e.g., ns1.example1.tld) are left in the zone. It is important to keep these orphan glue records in the zone so that any innocent sites using that name server will continue to resolve. This use of Hold status is an essential tool for suspending malicious domains.

The Registry, together with the Registry-Service-Provider, observes the following procedures, which are being followed by other registries and are generally accepted as DNS best practices. These procedures are also in keeping with ICANN SSAC recommendations.

When a request to delete a domain is received from a registrar, the Registry first checks for the existence of glue records. If glue records exist, the Registry will check to see if other domains in the Registry are using the glue records. If other domains in the Registry are using the glue records then the request to delete the domain will fail until no other domains are using the glue records. If no other domains in the Registry are using the glue records then the glue records will be removed before the request to delete the domain is satisfied. If no glue records exist then the request to delete the domain will be satisfied.

If a registrar cannot delete a domain because of the existence of glue records that are being used by other domains, then the registrar may refer to the zone file or the "weekly domain hosted by name server report" to find out which domains are using the name server in question and attempt to contact the corresponding registrar to request that they stop using the name server in the glue record. The Registry does not plan on performing mass updates of the associated DNS records.

The Registry will accept, evaluate, and respond appropriately to complaints that orphan glue is being used maliciously. Such reports should be made in writing to the Registry, and may be submitted to the Registry's abuse point-of-contact. If it is confirmed that an orphan glue record is being used in connection with malicious conduct, the Registry will have the orphan glue record removed from the zone file. The Registry has the technical ability to execute such requests as needed via its Registry-Service-Provider.

Methods to promote WHOIS accuracy

The creation and maintenance of accurate WHOIS records is an important part of Registry management. The Registry will manage a secure, robust and searchable WHOIS service for this gTLD.

Contacts

All reports of abuse should be sent to abuse@nic.onl.

Any complaints regarding inaccurate WHOIS information or should be addressed to the sponsoring registrar of that domain. Complaints may also be sent to support@nic.onl.

Registration Policy
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1. Purpose

The .ONL Top Level Domain ("TLD") established by and for the use of I-REGISTRY Ltd. ("I-REGISTRY"), the Registry Operator for the TLD space. This Policy is intended to be updated and revised regularly to reflect the needs of I-REGISTRY and its TLD. The current version of this Policy will be made publicly available at the registry website.

2. Registration Policy

The .ONL space will operate following an unrestricted registration model, meaning that no eligibility criteria or registration restrictions will be imposed upon prospective registrants in the space. Registrations will be allocated according to the "first come, first served" principle.

The use of Privacy and⁄or Proxy registra,on services shall be permitted within this space.

3. String Requirements, Reserved Names and Name Collisions

String Requirements

Registry Operator, via Registry Service Provider, will not accept a Registration unless the applied-for Domain Name meets the applicable requirements as defined in RFC 1035m 2181 and RFC 1123, including the following technical and syntax requirements. The Domain Name Label must:

  • if ASCII, consist exclusively of the letters A-Z, the numbers 0-9, and hyphens;
  • if non-ASCII (e.g., IDN), consist of language scripts offered by the Registry (as specified on the Registry Website);
  • not begin or end with a hyphen ('-');
  • not exceed 63 characters;
  • contain at least one character (not including the .onl); and
  • not contain hyphens, except where two consecutive hyphens (-) are used in the 3rd and 4th positions, when preceded by "xn" and followed by a label that corresponds with an IDN containing characters referred to in Subsection (b) above.
Reserved Names and Premium Auctions

Registry Operator may reserve, and not allow the Registration of any Domain Names which:

(a) appear on the list of reserved strings set forth in Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement;

or

(b) such other names as are designated by Registry Operator to be reserved prior to and/or during General Availability of the Registry TLD to the public.

Name Collisions

If any .ONL domain name is identified by ICANN as a potential name collision risk, pursuant to the Registry Operator's rights and responsibilities under the Registry Agreement, Specification 6, §6, the Registry Operator reserves the right to take all necessary and proper steps to resolve the conflict, including the blocking of any affected domain name.

4. Sunrise Period

Registry Operator will offer a sixty (60) day End Date Sunrise Period, specifically in relation to Rights Protection Mechanisms. Only holders of SMD Files provided by the TMCH Sunrise and Claims Operator or their agents are allowed to submit Sunrise Application(s). Successful Sunrise Registration(s) will be allocated to trademark holders after the Sunrise Period ends unless two or more Sunrise Applicants apply for the same TLD. In that case, the Sunrise Applicants will resolve contentions through an auction process with the Registry Operator's authorized Auction Provider.

Registry Operator has developed a Sunrise Policy, which describes, among other items, (i) the terms under which trademark owners may submit Sunrise Applications to the Registry during the Sunrise Period, and (ii) the rules under which Sunrise Applications may be challenged.

5. Landrush Period

Registry Operator will offer a Landrush Period of up to thirty (30) days (or less). A Landrush Period operates to allow any eligible Applicant to apply for a domain name in the TLD before the commencement of General Availability. At the end of the Landrush Period, domain names with only one application will be awarded directly to the Applicant. Domain names with two or more applications will proceed to a closed auction, between the respective Applicants, where the highest bidder wins.

The Registry Operator will utilize an Auction Provider for the Landrush programs in addition to offering Premium Domain Names (Reserved Names) prior to and/or during General Availability.

At the close of the Landrush Period, if more than one Landrush Application is made for a domain name, all Landrush Applicants will be notified that the domain name will be subject to auction, in accordance with Auction Rules.

6. Registration period and renewals

An .ONL domain name may be registered, and renewed at the end of each registration period, subject to the current terms and conditions offered by the concerned Registrar.

Registrations in the .ONL space shall follow a first-come, first-served model. The space will also utilize Landrush and Premium Landrush allocation phases.

7. Acceptable Use

I-REGISTRY intends that no domain name in the .ONL space shall be used in a manner which:

  • infringes any other third parties' rights
  • is in breach with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements or for the purposes of:
  • undertaking any illegal or fraudulent actions, including spam or phishing activities.

Failure to comply with the terms and conditions set out in this Registration agreement may result in the immediate suspension, cancellation or termination of the domain name registration by the Registry Operator.

8. Dispute Resolution Policies

The Registry Operator for ".ONL" will comply with all dispute resolution mechanisms as defined in the registry agreement Specification 7 article 2, and as revised from time to time by ICANN consensus policies and procedures. Registrants of .ONL domain names hereby agree to be bound by all applicable domain name dispute policies, as outlined in this Registration an Use Policy.

These dispute mechanisms include, but are not limited to:

  • the Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure ("PDDRP");
  • the Uniform Rapid Suspension system ("URS"); and
  • the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP").

a. Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP")

The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP") shall apply to any challenges to registered domain names on the grounds that: 1) such domain names are identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which the complainant has rights, 2) the registrant lacks rights or legitimate interests in the domain name, and 3) the domain name has been registered and used in bad faith.. The full text of the UDRP is located at the following address: http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄dndr⁄udrp⁄policy.htm

b. Uniform Rapid Suspension System ("URS")

The Uniform Rapid Suspension System ("URS") shall apply to any challenges to registered domain names on the grounds that: 1) such domain names are identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which the complainant has rights, 2) the registrant lacks rights or legitimate interests in the domain name, and 3) the domain name has been registered and used in bad faith. The full text of the URS is located at the registry website when available.

c. Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (Trademark PDDRP)

The Registry Operator for .ONL shall agree to be bound by the Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure ("Trademark PDDRP"). The Trademark PDDRP applies to challenges by trademark holders claiming that one or more of its marks have been infringed, and thereby the trademark holder has been harmed, by the registry operator's manner of operation or use of the gTLD. The full text of the Trademark PDDRP is located at the registry website when available.

Reserved Domain Name Policy
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According to its Registry Agreement with ICANN (including paragraph 2.6 and Specification 5) IREGISTRY Ltd. ("Registry") has the discretionary right to reserve domain names at any time. In addition, the Registry may at any time establish or modify policies concerning Registry's ability to reserve (i.e. withhold from registration or allocate assign, designate, otherwise earmark to Registry or third parties) or block additional character strings within the .ONL gTLD at its discretion and within the framework of applicable ICANN requirements.

The Registry may release or register reserved domain names in accordance with applicable ICANN requirements and handling procedures or procedures otherwise developed by the Registry.

Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy
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This Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (the "SDRP") is incorporated by reference into the Registration Agreement. This SDRP is effective as of January 2, 2014. An SDRP Complaint may be filed against a domain name registered during the .onl sunrise period, no later than 90 days after sunrise end date.

1. Purpose

Domain names in the .onl TLD ("the TLD") can be registered by third parties or reserved by the Registry. This SDRP describes the process and standards that will be applied to resolve challenges alleging that a domain name has been registered, or has been declined to be registered, in violation of the Registry's SDRP criteria. This SDRP will not be applied to Registry-reserved names in the TLD.

2. Applicable Disputes

A registered domain name in the TLD will be subject to an administrative proceeding upon submission of a complaint that the Sunrise Registration was improper under one or more of the following criteria.

a. Improper Sunrise Registration-Trademarks1

A complaint under this section shall be required to show by reasonable evidence that a registered domain name in the TLD does not comply with the provisions of the Registry's Sunrise Program. The complaint must prove one or more of the following elements:

  • at time the challenged domain name was registered, the registrant did not hold a trademark registration of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty;
  • the domain name is not identical to the mark on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration;2 or
  • the trademark registration on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration is not of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty.
b. SDRP Effective Dates

Any SDRP claim brought under this Policy for domain names registered in the .onl TLD shall be brought no later than 90 days after the Sunrise end date.

c. Auction

Parties participating in an auction may bring a Complaint under this SDRP prior to the auction against an opposing party to the same auction. The Auction will be suspended pending the resolution of the SDRP if the complainant notifies the Registry Operator within the five (5) calendar days following the Registry's notification of auction regarding the relevant domain name(s). Such notice must be in writing. The SDRP Complaint shall be filed with the National Arbitration Forum within five (5) calendar days of the written notice. If the SDRP Complaint is not filed, the auction shall proceed as scheduled.

Once an auction is concluded, if an SDRP claim is brought and the losing bidder prevails, the auction price to the losing bidder will be the amount of the last bid made by that bidder.

3. Evidence and Defenses

a. Evidence

Panelists will review the Registry's Sunrise Criteria, allocation requirements, or community-based eligibility requirements which are required to be submitted with the Complaint, as applicable, in making its decision.

b. Defenses

Harmless error. A Respondent may produce evidence to show that, although the sunrise registration was granted based on submission of the wrong documents, or documents containing an error, the true and correct evidence existed at the time the sunrise registration was applied for and, thus, the registration would have been granted.

4. Remedies

The remedies available to a complainant for a proceeding under this SDRP shall be limited to:

Improper Sunrise Registration

If the Panelist finds that the domain name was improperly registered during the Sunrise period, the sole remedy for a Complaint filed under SDRP 2(a) shall be cancellation of the registration and return of the cancelled domain name to the pool of available names available for registration in the TLD. If the Complainant independently qualifies to register the domain name, either as a regular or defensive/blocking registrant, such application may be made to the Registry, or registrar, as applicable.

In the event an SDRP dispute is brought by an auction bidder for the same domain name, the auction will be suspended until the dispute is resolved.

5. Procedure

a. Dispute Resolution Provider / Selection of Procedure

A Complaint under this SDRP shall be submitted to the National Arbitration Forum ("Forum") by submitting the complaint directly to the Forum. The Forum will administer the proceeding and select a qualified and eligible Panelist ("Panelist"). The Forum has established Rules for National Arbitration Forum's Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy ("Rules"), setting forth a fee schedule and other technical and process requirements for handling a dispute under this SDRP. The proceedings under this SDRP will be conducted according to this SDRP and the applicable Rules of the Forum.

b. Registry's or Registrar's Involvement

Neither the Registry nor registrar will participate in the administration or conduct of any proceeding before a Panelist. In any event, neither the Registry nor the registrar is or will be liable as a result of any decisions rendered by the Panelist. Any sunrise-registered domain names in the TLD involved in a SDRP proceeding will be locked against transfer to another domain name holder or another registrar during the course of a proceeding.3 The contact details of the holder of a registered domain name in the TLD, against which a complaint has been filed, will be as shown in the registrar's publicly available Whois database record for the relevant registrant. The Registry and the applicable registrar will comply with any Panelist decision and make all appropriate changes to the status of the domain name registration(s) in their Whois databases.

c. Parties

The registrant of a registered domain name in the TLD shall be promptly notified by the Forum of the commencement of a dispute under this SDRP, and may contest the allegations of the complaint or show other cause why the remedy requested in the complaint should not be granted in accordance with this SDRP. In all cases, the burden of proof shall be on the complainant, and default or other failure of the holder of the registered domain name shall not constitute an admission to any allegation of the complaint. The Forum shall promptly notify all named parties in the dispute, as well as the registrar and the Registry of any decision made by a Panelist.

d. Decisions
  • The Panelist may state the basis on which the decision is issued in summary format and may include such commentary or guidance as the Panelist deems appropriate;
  • the decision shall state whether a registered domain name in the TLD is to be cancelled or the status quo maintained; and
  • decisions made under this SDRP will be publicly published by the Forum on its website.
e. Implementation of a Lock and the Decision

If a Panelist's decision requires a change to the status of a registered domain name, the Registry4 will wait ten (10) business days after communication of the decision before implementing that decision, unless the registrant submits to the Registry (with a copy to the Forum) during that ten (10) day period official documentation (such as a copy of a complaint, file-stamped by the clerk of the court) that the registrant has commenced a lawsuit to preserve its claimed rights in a court of competent jurisdiction over the parties and the registered domain name. If such documentation is received no further action shall be taken until the Registry receives (i) evidence satisfactory to the Registry of an agreed resolution between the parties; (ii) evidence satisfactory to Registry that registrant's lawsuit has been dismissed or withdrawn; or (iii) a copy of an order from such court dismissing such lawsuit or otherwise directing disposition of the registered domain name.

f. Representations and Warranties

Parties to a dispute under this SDRP shall warrant that all factual allegations made in the course thereof are true and correct to the best of their knowledge, shall remain subject to all representations and warranties made in the course of registration of a disputed domain name.

6. Maintaining the Status Quo

During a proceeding under the SDRP, the registered domain name shall be locked against transfers between registrants and/or registrars and against deletion by registrants.

7. Indemnification / Hold Harmless

The parties shall hold the registrar, the Registry, the Forum, and the Panelist harmless from any claim arising from operation of the SDRP. Neither party may name the registrar, the Registry, the Forum, or the Panelist as a party or otherwise include the registrar, the Registry, the Forum, or the Panelist in any judicial proceeding relating to the dispute or the administration of the SDRP policy. The parties shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the registrar, the Registry, the Forum, the Panelist and their respective employees, contractors, agents and service providers from any claim arising from the conduct or result of a proceeding under this SDRP. Neither the registrar, the Registry, Forum, the Panelist and their respective employees, contractors, agents and service providers shall be liable to a party for any act or omission in connection with any administrative proceeding under this SDRP or the corresponding Rules. The complainant shall be directly and solely liable to the registrant in the event the complaint is granted in circumstances where the registrant is lawfully entitled to registration and use of the registered domain name(s) in the TLD.

8. Relation To Other Dispute Resolution Policies

This SDRP is in addition to and complementary with the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP"), the Uniform Rapid Suspension System ("URS") and any charter, nexus, or eligibility dispute policies adopted by ICANN or the Registry.

9. Effect of Other Proceedings

The administrative proceeding under the SDRP shall not prevent either party from submitting a dispute concerning the registered domain name in the TLD to concurrent administrative proceedings or to a court of competent jurisdiction for independent resolution during a pending SDRP administrative proceeding or after such proceeding is concluded. Upon notice of such other proceeding, the SDRP proceeding may be terminated (in the sole discretion of the Panelist) in deference to the outcome of such other proceeding.

10. SDRP Modifications

The Registry reserves the right to modify this SDRP at any time subject to the terms of its MoU with the Forum. Such revised SDRP shall be posted on the Forum Website at least thirty (30) calendar days before it becomes effective;5 unless this SDRP has already been invoked by the submission of a complaint, in which event the version of the SDRP in effect at the time it was invoked will apply until the dispute is concluded. In the event that registrant objects to a change in this SDRP, the sole remedy is to cancel the registration, provided that registrant will not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid in connection with such registration.

1 Applicant Guidebook 4 June 2012, Module 5, Page 8, Article 6.2.4. A dispute under this section also addresses the TLD Criteria from ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse Rights Protection Mechanism Requirements [published 30 September 2013], Article 2.3.6 and Article 2.3.1.4. The Forum's SDRP does not interact with (nor instruct) the Trademark Clearinghouse and is limited to adjudicating disputes over the Registry's registration and allocation of domain names during the sunrise period. Back To Text ↑

2 For the purposes of analysis of this element, neither the gTLD itself, nor the "dot," shall be considered. Back To Text ↑

3 A Registry may, though its agreement with registrars, instead require the registrar to perform the lock and/or implementation steps. Back To Text ↑

4 A Registry may, though its agreement with registrars, instead require the registrar to perform the lock and implementation steps. Back To Text ↑

5 The Forum may correct typographical errors without notice. Back To Text ↑




Startup Policy
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According to the ICANN requirements I-REGISTRY Ltd. ("Registry") will publish the .ONL Startup Information after delegation and prior to starting its Sunrise Period. The Startup Information includes the dates for the relevant startup periods as well as the complete Sunrise registration policies for the TLD, including all applicable policies related to the registration of a domain name in the TLD during the Sunrise Period, the TLD's Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP).

Except of the Sunrise Policy, the Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP) and the Startup Policy all other published policies apply to any registration of a domain name in any of the launch phases. The launch phases are

  • the End-Date Sunrise,
  • the Landrush,
  • the General Availability, and
  • Claims.

The Landrush is not a Limited Registration Phase as it has no additional registration restrictions beyond the registration policies for the TLD's General Registration.

The data for the individual phases and other ICANN requirements are

End-Date Sunrise from January 9, 2014 to March 9, 2014
Landrush from March 11, 2014 to April 8, 2014
General Availability starting from April 10, 2014
Claims for Limited Registration Period from March 11, 2014 to April 8, 2014
Claims for General Registration from April 10, 2014 to July 8, 2014

Sunrise Policy
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1. Overview

In order to assist trademark owners with protecting their trademarks during the launch of .ONL the Registry Operator has developed this Sunrise Policy, which describes, among other items,

  • the terms under which trademark owners may submit Sunrise Applications to the Registry during the Sunrise Period, and
  • the rules under which Sunrise Applications may be challenged.

The Sunrise Period allows trademark holders and agents that have successfully submitted trademark records, verified by the Trademark Clearinghouse ("TMCH"), an opportunity to register domain names derived from the registered and validated mark names contained in the Trademark Database ("TMDB"). The Sunrise Period precedes the Landrush and General Availability periods of the new gTLD, which are open to the public.

Registry Operator will offer a sixty (60) day End Date Sunrise Period, specifically in relation to Rights Protection Mechanisms. Only holders of SMD Files provided by the TMCH Sunrise and Claims Operator or their agents are allowed to submit Sunrise Application(s). Successful Sunrise Registration(s) will be allocated to trademark holders after the Sunrise Period ends unless two or more Sunrise Applicants apply for the same TLD. In that case, the Sunrise Applicants will resolve contentions through an auction process with the Registry Operator's authorized Auction Provider.

2. Registration Channel and Basis Application Requirements

2.1 Sunrise Applications can only be submitted to the Registry by a Registrar.

2.2 The Registry Operator will not process the Sunrise Application unless

  • the Sunrise Applicant submits a Signed Mark Data file (SMD File) provided by the TMCH Sunrise and Claims Operator which is encoded with a Domain Name Label in the applied-for Domain Name and signifies that the TMCH has verified that the trademark contained in the SMD File meets the requirements for inclusion in the TMCH in accordance with TMCH Guidelines in force at the time the Sunrise Application was filed.
  • The SMD File is received by the Registry Operator within the Sunrise Period.
  • The Sunrise Applicant pays the Sunrise Validation (Application) and Processing (Registration) Fee.

3. Reserved Names and Premium Auctions

Registry Operator may reserve, and not allow the Sunrise Application of any Domain Names which:

  • appear on the list of reserved strings set forth in Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement;
  • or
  • such other names as are designated by Registry Operator to be reserved prior to and/or during General Availability of the Registry TLD to the public.

4. Eligibility

During the Sunrise Period, only the holder of a SMD File provided by the TMCH Sunrise and Claims Operator will be eligible to file a corresponding Sunrise Application.

5. Identical Match of the applied for domain name label to the Trademark

The domain name applied for during the sunrise period must be an identical match to the mark on which the sunrise applicant based its Sunrise Application.

Identical Match is when the domain name label is an identical match to the trademark, meaning that the label consists of the complete and identical textual elements of the mark in accordance with section 4.2.1 of the TMCH Guidelines. In this regard:

  • For a trademark exclusively consisting of letters, words, numerals and/or special characters: the recorded name of the mark is an identical match to the reported name as long as all characters are included in the trademark record provided to the TMCH and in the same order in which they appear on the trademark certificate.
  • For marks that do not exclusively consist of letters, words, numerals, or special characters: the recorded name of the trademark is an identical match to the reported name as long as the name of the trademark includes letters, words, numerals, keyboard signs, and punctuation marks that are:
  • predominant;
  • clearly separable or distinguishable from the device element; and
  • all predominant characters are included in the trademark record submitted to the TMCH in the same order they appear in the mark.

6. String Requirements for Domain Names applied for during the Sunrise Period

Registry Operator, via Registry Service Provider, will not accept a Sunrise Application unless the applied-for Domain Name meets the applicable requirements as defined in RFC 1035m 2181 and RFC 1123, including the following technical and syntax requirements. The Domain Name Label must:

  • if ASCII, consist exclusively of the letters A-Z, the numbers 0-9, and hyphens;
  • if non-ASCII (e.g., IDN), consist of language scripts offered by the Registry (as specified on the Registry Website);
  • not begin or end with a hyphen ('-');
  • not exceed 63 characters;
  • contains at least one character (not including the .onl); and
  • not contain hyphens, except where two consecutive hyphens (-) are used in the 3rd and 4th positions, when preceded by "xn" and followed by a label that corresponds with an IDN containing characters referred to in Subsection (b) above.

7. Sunrise Application Validation

Sunrise Applications submitted during the Sunrise Period are subject to validation before the Registry will issue a Domain Name Registration.

Upon request of the Registry a Validation Agent will attempt to verify that the domain name applied for during the Sunrise Period is an identical match to the Validated Mark in the SMD File, meaning that the domain consists of the complete and identical textual elements of the mark in accordance with section 4.2.1 of the TMCH Guidelines. The Validation Agent will then inform the Registry of its findings. If the Validation Agent is unable to validate the Sunrise Application, the Registry will reject that Sunrise Application.

If more than one Applicant submits a valid Sunrise Application for the same domain name, all Sunrise Applicants for that name will be notified of the claims and will proceed to an auction where the highest bidder wins. The auction process will be governed by the terms and conditions published by the Auction Provider and provided to such Applicants ("Auction Rules"). Any auction fees, charges and the final bid price for the domain name will be the responsibility of the Applicant. Where notified of the result of an auction, Registry Operator will ensure that the domain name is Eligible for Allocation to the successful bidder.

8. Sunrise Dispute Resolution

Any party may file a Complaint according to the .onl Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy on the following grounds:

  • at time the challenged domain name was registered, the registrant did not hold a trademark registration of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty;
  • the domain name is not identical to the mark on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration; or
  • the trademark registration on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration is not of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty.

Such SDRP claim shall be filed with the Dispute Resolution Provider no later than 90 days after Sunrise Period ends.

Parties participating in an auction may bring a Complaint under this SDRP prior to the auction against an opposing party to the same auction. The Auction will be suspended pending the resolution of the SDRP if the complainant notifies the Registry Operator within the five (5) calendar days following the Registry's notification of auction regarding the relevant domain name(s). Such notice must be in writing. The SDRP Complaint shall be filed with the National Arbitration Forum within five (5) calendar days of the written notice. If the SDRP Complaint is not filed, the auction shall proceed as scheduled. Once an auction is concluded, if an SDRP claim is brought and the losing bidder prevails, the auction price to the losing bidder will be the amount of the last bid made by that bidder.

Whois Policy
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I-REGISTRY Ltd. ("Registry") will provide to the public a thick searchable WHOIS database both accessible on port 43 as well as on port 80 (http) as required in Specification 4 of the ICANN Registry Agreement. The Registry may, from time to time as determined at its complete discretion, impose certain limits on the amount of simultaneous and/or consecutive port 43 and/or port 80 requests.

  1. Registrars are required to ensure that the actual Registrant data fields, as required in the WHOIS database, is obtained from the Registrant and Registrar must collect and maintain accurate records of such data.
  2. Registrars must provide any competent authority who has provided a competent and legitimate request which has been properly verified and authenticated by the Registrar, with the actual WHOIS data.
  3. Registrar shall inform the Registrant, when using a proxy service, that the actual Registrant data as required by the WHOIS database, will be disclosed to any competent authority who has provided a competent and legitimate request which has been properly verified and authenticated by the Registrar with the actual WHOIS data.
  4. The Registrar shall notify the Registrant that even where a domain name is removed from the root zone, the domain name record may still appear in the WHOIS database for 24 hours.
  5. The Registry may perform a bi-annual review of a random sampling of domain names to test the accuracy and authenticity of the WHOIS information. If errors or missing information exists, notice shall be forwarded to the relevant Registrar, who shall be required to address these deficiencies with the relevant Registrants within 20 days.
  6. The Registry will comply with all the security, WHOIS, and privacy requirements required by ICANN whether in the Consensus or Temporary Policies (as defined in the Registry Agreement) and imposed by a competent legislative authority in Germany who has jurisdiction over the Registry.
  7. Registrants shall put forth any request for any changes, updates, and/or corrections to WHOIS information to the Registrar of the Registrant. The Registrar shall verify and authenticate the request and make the appropriate changes within 10 days of successful authentication and verification of the request.
  8. By submitted a WHOIS query, the requestor agrees that he/she will use the information obtained through the WHOIS search for lawful purposes only and that he/she will at no time now or in the future:
    • allow, enable, solicit, and/or encourage the transmission of mass unsolicited commercial advertising or solicitations via direct mail, electronic mail, or by telephone;
    • breach any applicable data and privacy protection acts; and
    • utilize and/or enable high volume, automated, and/or electronic processes querying the WHOIS database.
  9. Any and all data provided through the WHOIS search is provided "as is" and without any representation and/or warranty as to its accuracy. The Registry shall in no circumstances be responsible and/or be liable for any reliance on any information provided through the WHOIS search.
  10. Disclosure of contact data is restricted because of German and EU Data Protection legislation. The contact details for certain Domain Names may be restricted and the information can also be obtained through the Registry Special Access Request at whois.nic.onl.
  11. All copyright in the WHOIS information, the WHOIS database, and any WHOIS datasets are explicitly reserved.
  12. It is strictly prohibited to combine, collect, and/or compile any information that is obtained from this WHOIS service.

The registry operator will offer a "thick" registry system. In this model, all key contact details for each domain name will be stored in a central location by the registry. This allows better access to domain data, and provides uniformity in storing the information. The registry operator will ensure that the required fields for WHOIS data (as per the defined policies for the TLD) are enforced at the registry level. This ensures that the registrars are providing required domain registration data. Fields defined by the registry policy to be mandatory are documented as such and must be submitted by registrars. The Registry-Service-Provider's registry system verifies formats for relevant individual data fields (e.g. e-mail, and phone⁄fax numbers). Only valid country codes are allowed as defined by the ISO 3166 code list. The Registry-Service-Provider's WHOIS system is extensible, and is capable of using the VAULT system, described further below.

Similar to the centralized abuse point of contact described above, the registry operator can institute a contact email address which could be utilized by third parties to submit complaints for inaccurate or false WHOIS data detected. This information will be processed by its Registry-Service-Provider's support department and forwarded to the registrars. The registrars can work with the registrants of those domains to address these complaints. The Registry, together with its Registry-Service-Provider, will audit registrars on a yearly basis to verify whether the complaints being forwarded are being addressed or not. This functionality, available to all registry operators, is activated based on the registry operator's business policy.