auDA to resellers: not on our watch - News - Business

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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auDA to resellers: not on our watch

By Andrew Colley, 0
July 30, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/auDA-to-resellers-not-on-our-watch/0,139023166,120266989,00.htm

auDA chief Chris Disspain has sent a clear message that the Australian domain authority won't tolerate rogue resellers.

The auDA CEO has used legal threats to pressure controversial domain name reseller Internet Registry Pty Ltd (not to be confused with accredited registrar NetRegistry Pty Ltd) to stop using a range of marketing tactics auDA considers questionable.

The domain authority issued a consumer alert about the reseller earlier this month. At the time Disspain said that Internet Registry's statements might mislead some registrars into believing that they have the authority to register a domain for more than two years.

To appease auDA, Internet Registry has made a number of commitments regarding its future direct marketing activities. Chief among them, the reseller must no longer send material that might be mistaken for an invoice nor purport to consumers that it has the authority to register or renew domain names.

Also, the reseller must contact its customers to correct perceptions its previous marketing material may have given.

"This demonstrates that auDA is serious about enforcing ethical behaviour in the domain name industry, and is prepared to act swiftly to protect registrants," Disspain said in a statement.

auDA's announcement is the latest development in a series of controversial and acrimonious disputes surrounding the Australian domain administration scheme.

In April, auDA suspended provisional registrar accreditation it had awarded to Internet Name Group, for similarly activities. Earlier this month, auDA accredited registrar MelbourneIT terminated contracts with 20 resellers for breaches of the industry's code.