In September 2005, following the results of our customer satisfaction survey, in which over 80 per cent of registrars who responded said that they felt increased regulation or a code of conduct for the Internet industry was required, the Policy Advisory Body (PAB) agreed that Nominet should look at the issue of industry standards. We therefore undertook the consultation on Raising Industry Standards from 31st January to 31st May 2006. We have reviewed the consultation responses along with feedback from members, MPs and other interested parties. After discussion with the PAB it was agreed that the existing Tag Holder Agreement will be replaced with:

• a Registrar Agreement; and
• Good Practice Terms

The new agreement (including the Good Practice Terms) will come into effect on 1 March 2007.

The changes to the Registrar Agreement are a result of feedback from the consultation in which members and the PAB agreed to raise standards in the industry and also recommended avoiding an overly prescriptive approach to the requirements placed on registrars. This was considered to be important given the diversity in operational processes and business models amongst registrars. As a result the new Registrar Agreement incorporates the following:

• The term “tag-holder” is replaced by “registrar”, which we will adopt throughout our communications for simplicity
• Greater clarity on what the registrant can expect from the registrar covering pricing, range of services and customer service provision
• The need to provide accurate registrant data where practicable and a requirement to take action once inaccurate data is brought to the registrar’s attention
• Clarity on the relationship between the registrar, the registrant and Nominet
• A term stating that unless specific permission is given, the domain name will only be registered in the name of the customer
• If you operate a reseller program you remain contractually responsible to Nominet for the actions of your resellers
• New registrars will be required to show an understanding of the .uk business process. This will be supported with training and demonstrated through online competence testing

The consultation process also recommended the development of a set of Good Practice Terms. This has been done using the new agreement and taking into account the way that Nominet and registrars actually do business. The Good Practice Terms are part of the agreement and are legally binding. They seek to set out basic levels of service and conduct that your customer can expect as part of the drive to raise minimum standards in the industry.The new agreement will come into force on 1 March 2007, replacing your existing Tag Holder Agreement. References to the Registrar Agreement in the definition and interpretation terms will be updated accordingly. If you have any questions or comments on the new terms please email them to us: support@nominet.org.uk

This entry was posted in January, 2007.
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