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<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Draft Proposed
Changes to Registrar Accreditation Agreement</span></h2>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">18
June 2008 </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Ficann.org%2Fpublic_comment%2F%23dpc-raa-2008">Click
here to go through to the public comment period</a> (open until 4 August 2008).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This announcement describes
fifteen draft amendments to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) for
consideration and discussion by the ICANN community. The amendments were
developed through a community consultation process and then a discussion
between registrars and ICANN taking that comment into account. The draft
amendments are presented here to facilitate further community discussion with
the objective of implementing a set of contract changes to enhance registrant
protections. ICANN staff will be available to facilitate discussions with
constituency groups at ICANN's meetings in Paris and afterwards.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These amendments fall into
four general categories: </span></p>
<ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Enforcement
Tools – these amendments are designed to enhance registrar compliance and
to give ICANN better tools for enforcement. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrant
Protections – these amendments focus on areas to improve the protection of
registrants by enhancing consumer information that supports better
informed decisions and choices concerning the protection of data. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Promoting
stable and competitive registrar marketplace – these amendments focus on
making sure that all participants in the registration marketplace meet
minimum standards. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Agreement
modernization – these amendments are intended to make certain that
provisions in the contract meet current needs. </span></li></ul>
<p><strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">History of
Consultation </span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></p>
<ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In an
effort to address concerns raised about the protection of registrants,
ICANN has undertaken considerable discussions with community members
concerning potential amendment to the RAA. Input has been received through
public comment fora, particularly from ALAC and the Intellectual Property
Constituency. In accordance with the direction set in those discussions,
ICANN has conducted both telephonic and face-to-face discussions with
registrars on how to provide these protections by amending the RAA. From
the eight substantive areas of reform called for by Paul Twomey in March
2007 (see <<a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icann.org%2Fannouncements%2Fannouncement-21mar07.htm">http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-21mar07.htm</a>>),
and these community consultations, fifteen RAA amendments have been
proposed. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Workshops
have been held at ICANN meetings where issues of data escrow, registry
failover, compliance, and RAA amendments were discussed. In parallel, the
Board resolved to direct staff to solicit community input related to RAA
amendments, engage in a dialogue with registrars to arrive at a set of proposed
RAA amendments to be posted for public comment, and solicit advice from
ALAC, the GNSO, and other interested parties to inform the Board's review
of the amendments (see <<a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icann.org%2Fminutes%2Fresolutions-29jun07.htm%23k">http://www.icann.org/minutes/resolutions-29jun07.htm#k</a>>).
</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">An initial
set of amendments were drafted and posted for public comment between July
and September 2007, with a summary published in October 2007. A page was
established on the ICANN website for "Consultation on Registrar
Accreditation Agreement Amendments" at <<a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icann.org%2Ftopics%2Fraa%2F">http://www.icann.org/topics/raa/</a>>.
During this period initial discussions were also held with registrars. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Based on
discussions with registrars and solicited community advice an updated set
of amendments emerged. The Registrar Constituency created a working group,
led by Constituency Chair Jon Nevett, to enter into an ongoing dialogue
with ICANN on the RAA issues under consideration. Several iterations have
been drafted as the dialogue between the working group and ICANN has
progressed. Both face-to-face and telephone conferences have taken place. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The ALAC
also created a working group to review the RAA and has contributed to the
dialogue. In part, as a result of the ongoing dialogue, communications
between the registrars and ALAC have improved. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">At the end
of this comment period a report summarizing the feedback will be prepared
for the Board to consider in its review. </span></li></ul>
<p><strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Proposed Amendments </span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Below is a summary of the
amendments being posted for comment (for the contract language being proposed
to implement each of these, see <<a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icann.org%2Ftopics%2Fraa%2Fraa-provisions-comparision-18jun08.pdf">RAA
Provisions Comparison</a>> [PDF, 40K] and <<a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icann.org%2Ftopics%2Fraa%2Fredline-2001-raa-18jun08.pdf">Redline
2001 RAA</a>> [PDF, 79K]): </span></p>
<ol start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Enforcement
tools </span></li><ol start="1" type="a"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrar
Audits – Allowing ICANN to conduct site visits and audits of registrars
upon at least 15 days notice. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sanctions
& Suspension – Providing for escalated compliance enforcement tools
such as monetary sanctions and suspension of registry access. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Group
Liability – Preventing "serial misconduct" by registrars when
another affiliated (by common control) registrar's RAA is terminated. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrar
Fees – Revising registrar fee provision to be aligned with recent and
current ICANN budgets; assessing interest on late fee payments. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrations
by Registrars – Creating liability by registrars to ICANN for any
registrations created by a registrar for its use in providing Registrar
Services. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Arbitration
Stay – Eliminating the existing automatic 30-day stay of termination
registrars receive by initiating arbitration or litigation to challenge
an RAA termination. </span></li></ol><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrant
protections </span></li><ol start="1" type="a"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Private
Registration & Registrar Data Escrow Requirements – Registrars are
required to either escrow underlying customer data in the case of private
or proxy registrations, or alternatively, give prominent notification
that such data will not be escrowed. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrant
Rights and Responsibilities – Requiring registrars to include on their
websites a link to a "Registrant Rights and Responsibilities"
document to be created in consultation with the ICANN community. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Contractual
Relationships with Resellers – Protecting registrants who are customers
of resellers by obligating resellers to follow ICANN policies and
requiring that they either escrow privacy/proxy customer data, or
alternatively, give prominent notification that such data will not be
escrowed. </span></li></ol></ol>
<ol start="3" type="a"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Promoting stable and
competitive registrar marketplace </span></li></ol>
<ol start="3" type="a"><ol start="1" type="a"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Accreditation by Purchase –
Requiring registrars to notify ICANN upon a change of ownership and to re-certify
the registrar's compliance with the RAA. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Operator Skills Training and
Testing – Providing for mandatory training of registrar representatives
to ensure better registrar understanding of ICANN policies and RAA
requirements. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Use of ICANN-Accredited
Registrars – Maintaining ICANN's general policy of requiring registries
to use ICANN-accredited registrars (in the absence of a reasonable and
noted exception). </span></li></ol><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Agreement modernization </span></li></ol>
<ol start="4" type="a"><ol start="0" type="a"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Notice Provision –
Streamlining ICANN's obligation to provide notice to registrars of new
consensus policies applicable to registrars. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">References to the Department
of Commerce – Acknowledging ICANN's movement toward independence from the
DOC by removing certain references within the RAA to a requirement of DOC
approval. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Registrar Data Retention
Requirements – Clarifying data retention requirement for registrars to
allow for more uniform practices. </span></li></ol></ol>
<p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Send comments on these
proposed changes to <a href="mailto:raa-consultation@icann.org">raa-consultation@icann.org</a>.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">View comments at <a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9826907&msgid=155129&act=VMK0&c=165637&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.icann.org%2Flists%2Fraa-consultation">http://forum.icann.org/lists/raa-consultation</a>.
</span></p>