Terms & Conditions- the Nominet UK

perspective

Eleanor Bradley - Customer Support Manager

Fay Howard - INCOP Project Manager

Nominet in a nutshell

• Manages the Registry for .uk domain names

• Acts in the interests of the Internet community

• Operates with the approval of the UK Government

Structure of Nominet

Nominet has a unique structure:

• Not for profit

• Limited by guarantee, no shareholders

• A private company, not a charity

Core functions

The core functions of the Registry are to:

• Maintain the integrity of the Register Database• Perform transactions in a fair and efficient

manner• Provide information to the public (Domain

Name look-up services)• Provide a Dispute Resolution Service

How registration works

• More than 90% of Applicants register through a member of Nominet

• Membership is open to all

• The majority are UK Internet Service Providers

• Members can become Tag Holders, in order interact with Nominet’s automated systems

Three Separate Contractual Relationships

ISP Registrant

NominetUK

ISP’s T&Cs

Tag Holder Agreement Nominet’s T&Cs

ISP T&Cs

• Disputes arise between domain name registrants and their ISPs

• Change of hosting• Outstanding debts

• Your T&Cs can simplify these disputes

Assessing your T&Cs

• Are they easy to find and in plain English?

• Are they properly incorporated?

• Do they empower you?

• Are they up to date with current law and practice?

Other issues

• DPA Legislation

• Consumer protection

• Libel

• Intellectual property