A new Registrar Accreditation Agreement is finalized and signed by many registrars.
2013 saw the finalization of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA), which is the contract between ICANN and domain name registrars that offer domain names to the public. It’s the first major update since 2009.
This new agreement has major implications for everyone who touches the domain name industry, not just for registrars and domainers. It will affect every person who registers a domain name.
A big change in the 2013 RAA is that the registrars have to verify contact details for domain registrants. If a business owner doesn’t confirm its information, its domain name may be suspended. That goes for changes to contact information as well, which leads me to believe that some big websites will go dark thanks to miscommunication.
Registrars have already signed the agreement in droves. That’s because signing the 2013 RAA is required in order to offer any new top level domain names to the public.
It will be interesting to watch for intended and unintended consequences of the 2013 RAA in the coming year.
James says
New gTLDs will hog the spotlight, but this story was huge for 2013. The new RAA redefines the relationship between registrars, registrants and ICANN, and not always for the better.
Michele says
And while many registrars may have signed on to the new contract quite a few of us have been unable to do so due to issues with local law..