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Frequently Asked Questions about the revised Registrar Accreditation Agreement

What is the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA)?

The Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) is the contract that governs the relationship between ICANN and its accredited registrars. The same contract is in place between ICANN and each of the approximately 900 accredited registrars.

When was the revised RAA signed?

The new RAA was signed by Tucows at the 35th International Meeting of ICANN in Sydney, Australia.

When does the revised RAA go into effect?

The new RAA goes into effect on July 1st, 2009 and remains in effect for five years.

Where can I find out more about the RAA or read the RAA?

The ICANN website has a section dealing with the RAA, including the full text of the revised RAA that is going into effect on July 1st, 2009. http://www.icann.org/en/topics/raa/

Is the RAA unique to Tucows/OpenSRS?

No. All ICANN accredited Registrars are bound by the same RAA.

What is changing as a result of the revised RAA?

Two things:

  1. The ICANN Fee is being reduced from USD$0.20 to USD$0.18 effective July 1st, 2009.
  2. Second, there are a number of new domain holder protection provisions related to the escrowing of data for domains protected by WHOIS Privacy services, specifically for domains sold through Resellers.

Do I need to do anything to get the new, reduced ICANN fee?

No. Pricing will be adjusted to reflect the lower ICANN fee effective July 1st, 2009.

What about the new WHOIS Privacy requirements? Does this affect me?

The new RAA contains specific requirements related to WHOIS Privacy provided by Resellers. If you provide WHOIS Privacy separate from the Contact Privacy service that OpenSRS provides, and actual Registrant WHOIS data is not stored within OpenSRS, then you are affected.

You may chose to either, a) Switch to Contact Privacy service provided free of charge by OpenSRS. or b) Display a conspicuous notice to customers, in the order flow where WHOIS Privacy is elected to be used, that their data is not being escrowed.

I use OpenSRS Contact (WHOIS) Privacy. What do I need to do?

Resellers who use OpenSRS Contact Privacy don't need to do anything. As long as actual Registrant data is stored with the domain name inside OpenSRS, you are in compliance and OpenSRS takes care of any escrowing requirements.

I don't use Contact Privacy and I offer another method of WHOIS Privacy to my customers. When do I need to be in compliance by?

You have until August 1st, 2009 to be in compliance with the WHOIS Privacy terms of the revised RAA.

I have more questions. Who can I contact?

Email us at newRAA@opensrs.com and we'll get you the answers to any questions you have about the revised RAA and any impacts that it may have on you or your business.