Domain Name Eligibility and Allocation Policy Rules for the Open 2LDs (2008-05)
Policy No: 2008-05
Publication Date: 30/05/2008
Status: Current
1. BACKGROUND
1.1 This document sets out the policy rules that govern the granting of domain name licences in the open second level domains (2LDs) in the .au domain.
1.2 The policy rules are based on the existing Domain Name Eligibility and Allocation Policy Rules for Open Second Level Domains (2LDs) (2005-01) and include the final recommendations of auDA’s 2007 Names Policy Panel. The Panel’s final report was approved by the auDA Board on 10 December 2007.
1.3 The policy rules set out in this document do not have retrospective effect. Domain name licences that were granted before implementation of this policy will be ‘grandfathered’ and the registrant will be entitled to renew the licence provided that there has been no change in the registrant's circumstances that affects their eligibility to hold the domain name licence. For example, if the registrant of a com.au domain name no longer holds the registered business name that they used as a basis for licensing the domain name in the first place.
2. DOMAIN NAME LICENCES
2.1 There are no proprietary rights in the domain name system (DNS). A registrant does not “own” a domain name. Instead, the registrant holds a licence to use a domain name, for a specified period of time and under certain terms and conditions.
2.2 The terms and conditions of a domain name licence are set out in:
a) this document;
b) the registration application and subsequent agreement between a registrant and registrar; and
c) any other of auDA’s Published Policies that are applicable.
2.3 There is no hierarchy of rights in the DNS. For example, a registered trade mark does not confer any better entitlement to a domain name than a registered business name. Domain name licences are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Provided the relevant eligibility rules are satisfied, the first registrant to apply for a particular domain name will be permitted to license it.
3. STRUCTURE OF .AU DOMAIN
3.1 The .au domain is sub-divided into a number of 2LDs (for example, com.au, edu.au, id.au). All .au domain names are registered as third level domains (3LDs). It is not possible to register domain names as 2LDs directly under .au.
3.2 Each 2LD has a purpose. For example, com.au is for commercial entities, gov.au is for government bodies and org.au is for non-commercial organisations. The purpose of each 2LD dictates the eligibility and allocation rules applicable in that 2LD.
3.3 The 2LDs are divided into 2 categories:
a) “open 2LDs” – those 2LDs that are basically open to all users, subject to some eligibility criteria; and
b) “closed 2LDs” – those 2LDs with a defined community of interest that are closed to the general public.
3.4 Schedule A of this document sets out the eligibility and allocation rules that apply to all open 2LDs. Schedules B-F of this document set out the eligibility and allocation rules that apply to each open 2LD.
3.5 The eligibility and allocation rules that apply to closed 2LDs are determined by the relevant 2LD Manager and approved by auDA.
4. APPLICATION OF POLICY RULES
4.1 It is the responsibility of auDA to preserve the integrity of the .au domain by ensuring that the policy rules are applied correctly and enforced as necessary. auDA reserves the right to revoke any domain name licence that has been granted, or subsequently held, in breach of the relevant policy rules.
4.2 It is the responsibility of all auDA accredited registrars, in accordance with the Registrar Agreement, to apply the policy rules set out in this document. Each domain name application must be checked for compliance with the relevant policy rules by the registrar before it is submitted to the registry for inclusion in the registry database. auDA has published guidelines for registrars to assist them in interpreting the policy rules outlined in this document.
4.3 It is the responsibility of all registrants, in accordance with their registration application and subsequent agreement, to ensure that they satisfy the policy rules set out in this document when submitting an application to register or renew a domain name in any of the open 2LDs. To that end, a registrant is required to warrant to the registrar that they satisfy the rules.
5. BREACHES OF POLICY
5.1 Where a registrant has made a false warranty to the registrar, or otherwise acted in bad faith in order to obtain the domain name licence, auDA reserves the right to revoke the domain name licence.
5.2 Where auDA becomes aware that a registrar has approved a domain name application through misinterpretation of the relevant policy rules, auDA may issue a policy clarification to assist registrars in the interpretation of the policy rules. Under the terms and conditions of the Registrar Agreement, auDA reserves the right to take action against a registrar where it has reasonable grounds to believe that the registrar has acted negligently or recklessly in approving a domain name application in breach of the relevant policy rules.
6. REVIEW OF POLICY
6.1 From time to time, auDA may update this document for the purposes of clarification or correction (for example, if governments introduce a new type of business or other official identifier).
6.2 auDA will not make any major changes to this document without conducting an Advisory Panel process, as described in auDA’s Constitution (available on auDA’s website at http://www.auda.org.au).
SCHEDULE A
ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR ALL OPEN 2LDS
First come, first served
1. Domain name licences are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. It is not possible to pre-register or otherwise reserve a domain name.
Registrants must be Australian
2. Domain name licences may only be allocated to a registrant who is Australian, as defined under the eligibility and allocation rules for each 2LD.
Composition of domain names
3. Domain names must:
a) be at least 2 characters long;
b) contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens (-), or a combination of these;
c) start and end with a number or a letter, not a hyphen; and
d) not contain hyphens in the third and fourth position (eg. ab--cd.com.au).
Domain name licence renewal period
4. The domain name licence period is fixed at 2 years. It is not possible to license a domain name for a shorter or longer period.
5. Renewal of a domain name licence at the end of the 2 year period is dependent on the registrant continuing to meet the eligibility and allocation rules for the relevant 2LD.
Number of domain names
6. There is no restriction on the number of domain names that may be licensed by a registrant.
auDA’s Reserved List
7. auDA’s Reserved List contains names that may not be licensed. The list is available on auDA’s website at http://www.auda.org.au.
Prohibition on registering domain names for sole purpose of resale
8. A registrant may not register a domain name for the sole purpose of resale or transfer to another entity.
SCHEDULE B
ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR ASN.AU
The asn.au 2LD is for non-commercial organisations.
The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Eligibility and Allocation Rules for All Open 2LDs, contained in Schedule A of this document.
1. To be eligible for a domain name in the asn.au 2LD, registrants must be:
a) an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
b) a political party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission; or
c) a trade union or other organisation registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996; or
d) a sporting or special interest club operating in Australia; or
e) a charity operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant’s constitution or other documents of incorporation; or
f) a non-profit organisation operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant’s constitution or other documents of incorporation.
2. Domain names in the asn.au 2LD must be:
a) an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s name; or
b) otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.
SCHEDULE C
ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR COM.AU
The com.au 2LD is for commercial purposes.
The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Eligibility and Allocation Rules for All Open 2LDs, contained in Schedule A of this document.
1. To be eligible for a domain name in the com.au 2LD, registrants must be:
a) an Australian registered company; or
b) trading under a registered business name in any Australian State or Territory; or
c) an Australian partnership or sole trader; or
d) a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia; or
e) an owner of an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
f) an applicant for an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
g) an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
h) an Australian commercial statutory body.
2. Domain names in the com.au 2LD must be:
a) an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s name or trademark; or
b) otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.
SCHEDULE D
ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR ID.AU
The id.au 2LD is for individuals.
The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Eligibility and Allocation Rules for All Open 2LDs, contained in Schedule A of this document.
1. To be eligible for a domain name in the id.au 2LD, registrants must be:
a) an Australian citizen; or
b) an Australian resident.
2. Domain names in the id.au 2LD must be:
a) an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s personal name; or
b) otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant, because the domain name:
(i) includes, or is derived from, one or more words of the registrant's personal name; or
(ii) is a name by which the registrant is commonly known (ie. a nickname).
SCHEDULE E
ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR NET.AU
The net.au 2LD is for commercial purposes.
The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Eligibility and Allocation Rules for All Open 2LDs, contained in Schedule A of this document.
1. To be eligible for a domain name in the net.au 2LD, registrants must be:
a) an Australian registered company; or
b) trading under a registered business name in any Australian State or Territory; or
c) an Australian partnership or sole trader; or
d) a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia; or
e) an owner of an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
f) an applicant for an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
g) an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
h) an Australian commercial statutory body.
2. Domain names in the net.au 2LD must be:
a) an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s name or trademark; or
b) be otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.
SCHEDULE F
ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR ORG.AU
The org.au 2LD is for non-commercial organisations.
The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Eligibility and Allocation Rules for All Open 2LDs, contained in Schedule A of this document.
1. To be eligible in the org.au 2LD, registrants must be:
a) an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
b) a political party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission; or
c) a trade union or other organisation registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996; or
d) a sporting or special interest club operating in Australia; or
e) a charity operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant’s constitution or other documents of incorporation; or
f) a non-profit organisation operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant’s constitution or other documents of incorporation.
2. Domain names in the org.au 2LD must be:
a) an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s name; or
b) otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.
Last Updated: 30/05/2008 11:30
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We take the protection of privacy seriously and this statement outlines the policies in place as at Dec 2010.
Privacy Statement
Thanks for visiting AUZZIE.BIZ. We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. It includes our information gathering and dissemination practices for our web site.
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Monitoring
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Disclosure of Private Information
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Security and Accuracy of your Information
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, and from unauthorised access.
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We attempt to keep all information up to date but we rely on you to inform us of any changes of your details.
Credit Card Information
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Access to your Information
You can request specific details of information we have about you or copies of the actual information by writing to
The Privacy Officer
PO Box 267
Lithgow NSW 2790
We may charge you a handling and materials fee depending on circumstances.
Removal of your Information
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Contacting the web site
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this web site, you can contact:
AUZZIE.BIZ Domain Services
PO Box 267
Lithgow, NSW 2790
Australia
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General
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- All hosting fees and domain name renewal fees are due on or before the due date of the renewing account and/or domain name.
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Credit Card Payments
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- Auzzie.Biz has the authority to charge for services requested, pending hosting or domain name renewals, using the credit card information you provide Paypal for charging on your account.
- By by purchasing our hosting services and selecting an annual billing payment cycle you are agreeing to allow the Auzzie.Biz to place your account on a recurring payment plan. Upon your receipt of our emailed Auzzie.Biz invoice, unless you indicate that you would like to cancel the account or stop the charges, the account will automatically be re-billed according to the information contained within the invoice. (See Cancellation Policy for details on how to cancel your account.)
- Hosting invoices will be sent out 5 (five) days before the payment is due.
- Domain renewal invoices will be sent out 35 days before the domain is due to expire. Unless you indicate otherwise, we will endeavour to automatically renew the domain two (2) weeks before the domain renewal date.
- A reminder notice will be emailed to you two (2) weeks before the due date of your hosting renewal. This message will serve as a reminder that your charges are coming due and will also indicate if you need to update your credit card information with Paypal.
- If we do not receive your payment by the due date indicated on your invoice, your account will be suspended for non-payment and you will not be able to access your website.
- If we do not receive your payment by the due date for your domain name renewal by your renewal date, the domain will be left to expire and your account will be suspended and you will not be able to access your website.
- After 28 days a suspended account will automatically be deleted from our system. When an account is deleted from our system, all copies of the website files are permanently and irretrievably removed from our servers.
- If an account has been suspended for non-payment, it will only be reactivated upon payment of all overdue fees and a reactivation fee.
- If we refund any fees due to any charges you dispute with your Credit Card through PayPal (such as a charge-back), we will suspend your account. The suspended account will only be reactivated once all disputed/refunded fees are resolved satisfactorily, and we receive payment for any and all administrative fees incurred by Auzzie.Biz resulting from your dispute or charge-back request. If you have registered a domain name with us and submit a charge-back, Auzzie.Biz will retain ownership of the domain name(s) registered.
Domain Name
- Once a domain name has been registered or renewed through Auzzie.Biz, no refunds will be given for the domain registration or renewal fee.
- The Customer has full ownership rights over any domain name registered or renewed through Auzzie.Biz, where the domain registration fees have been paid in full.
- No domain name will be registered or renewed without prior payment of the required fee.
- If we are unable to secure payment before the domain renewal date, the domain will expire and the hosting account will be suspended.
- After 40 days, the domain name will be released by the Registrar Auzzie.Biz and be made available to the general public for re-registration.
- Once a domain has expired, if the registration fee is then paid, we will put in a request with our Registrar Auzzie.Biz to renew and reactivate the domain name. This process is normally complete within four (4 - 7) days.
- Once a domain has been renewed, if we receive a dispute of payment or a request for a refund from your credit card Auzzie.Biz, Auzzie.Biz will take over the ownership of the domain name in question.
- Auzzie.Biz is not responsible for maintaining the registrant information for domain names. The domain owner can modify all this information using our Control Panel.
- Auzzie.Biz is not liable for any domain disputes that may arise over changed registrant information for a domain name.
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Account Ownership
- Ownership of the account is determined by the individual or Company/Business listed in our database as the person or Company/Business paying for the account.
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- Customer may modify the email address over the phone, provided Auzzie.Biz can verify the status of the caller.
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- Auzzie.Biz will act in accordance with the above ownership rules unless compelled by a domain dispute ruling as determined by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), or auDA the domain name governing bodys.
Forms of payment
We currently accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard), AU$ direct deposit or AU$ cheque/money order. For your security we do not store Credit Card details on our server. Credit card payments can be made on our shopping cart through PayPal secure servers:
- PayPal will be processed in AU$
- Payment by AU$ Cheque, Money Order to:
AUZZIE.BIZ DOMAIN SERVICES
PO Box 267
Lithgow NSW 2790
AustraliaNB: Please include a copy of your Invoice with your payment.
Direct Deposit: Name: AUZZIE.BIZ DOMAIN SERVICES
Bank: Commonwealth
BSB: 062-566
Account Number: 10137783
Description: INV [Enter Your Invoice Number]
Billing period
Monthly Accounts are billed monthly (credit card only). Payment is due on the date of each anniversary of the payment period. Credit cards are charged automatically on the anniversary date of the payment period unless we receive written or explicit instructions indicating otherwise.
Annual Accounts are billed annually. Payment is due on the date of each anniversary of the payment period.
Invoicing
Customers will be invoiced via email. Those paying by credit card are invoiced 1 day before payment is automatically charged. Customers can view and print their Invoices by logging into https://auzziebiz.net.
Customers needing an additional printed invoice please contact us. Monthly invoicing by mail is available for an additional fee.
Chargebacks
If a chargeback is submitted against a credit card used to purchase service, the account(s) in question will be suspended immediately. The suspended account will only be reactivated once all disputed/refunded fees are resolved satisfactorily, and we receive payment for any and all administrative fees incurred by Auzzie.Biz resulting from your dispute or charge-back request.
Overdue accounts
Accounts that are 30 days overdue will receive a reminder email. If payment, in full, is not received within 7 days of the reminder, the account will be suspended. Accounts which remain suspended more than 2 weeks are subject to termination.
Accounts which are reactivated after having been suspended are subject to a AU$25 account reactivation fee. All costs associated with dishonoured cheques will be charged to the account holder.
Cancellation
We reserve the right to cancel service at any time for any reason. Should we cancel service, prepaid monthly fees for service not rendered will be prorated and refunded.
Customers may cancel their accounts at the end of their billing period, or on an even month. In this case, prepaid monthly fees for service not rendered will be prorated and refunded.
If you do not wish to continue hosting with Auzzie.Biz, or do not wish to renew your domain name, it is your responsibility to contact Auzzie.Biz through your Control Panel at https://auzziebiz.net/clients/ to cancel your account or domain name.
Transferring a domain to a new hosting company does not constitute canceling an account with Auzzie.Biz.
All cancellation requests must be submitted using the Control Panel. You will need to indicate when you would like to cancel the account and if you are keeping the ownership of the domain name that Auzzie.Biz registered for you. If you do not indicate that you would like to cancel the domain renewal your account will automatically be modified to the Auzzie.Biz Domain Name Only Account for all future domain management. This change will cancel all hosting services but leave your Auzzie.Biz account open for the domain renewal.
Setup fees and domain registration fees are not refundable.
Account name changes
There is a AU$25 fee to change the primary domain of an account.
Antifraud Check
Customer purchase can be suspended for manual antifraud check for 10-20 minutes as well as it can be suspended for longer term (around 20 hours) for more serious investigation. Antifraud check occurs because of growing number of fraud transactions from persons who are not actual cardholders of the credit cards used during purchase.
Billing policies & prices
We reserve the right to change our policies or prices at any time. Prices are guaranteed for the period of pre-payment only and are shown in AU$.
Rev. 01-Jan-2010
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