2002

9 Sept - auDA CONSUMER ALERT: Net Register
8 July  - auDA CONSUMER ALERT:  Internet Registry Pty Ltd
27 June - .au Competition Brings New Pricing, New Rules and New Products from July 1, 2002

---

CONSUMER ALERT issued by auDA, 9 September, 2002

NetRegister letter contains incorrect information

 Registrants of com.au domain names may have recently received a letter from NetRegister about Internet Name Group (ING) going out of business. This letter contains statements that are inaccurate and may mislead registrants.

NetRegister is a business name registered to Internet Registry Pty Ltd. This company has been the subject of a previous auDA Consumer Alert (see http://www.auda.org.au/about/news/2002070802.html

Neither NetRegister nor Internet Registry Pty Ltd have any connection whatsoever with auDA accredited registrar NetRegistry Pty Ltd.

In auDAís view, the NetRegister letter may mislead registrants in various ways, including by implying that ING was a registrar and that many domain names have already expired or are about to.

In particular, auDA is concerned that the letter implies that registrants are in danger of losing their domain name. This is NOT TRUE.

 1. If registrants were not customers of ING

The information contained in the NetRegister letter is of no relevance and should be discarded.

2. If registrants were customers of ING

These registrants should read Internet Name Group - Information for Domain Name Registrants on auDA's website at http://www.auda.org.au/about/news/2002082102.html

For further information, contact auDA by emailing info@auda.org.au

TOP OF PAGE

---

CONSUMER ALERT  - Issued by auDA, 8 July 2002

CAUTION - Internet Registry Pty Ltd  Mail out contains inaccurate information

auDA has become aware that a company called Internet Registry Pty Ltd (Internet Registry) is sending out incorrect information to domain name registrants.

The mail out, headed ìIMPORTANT NOTICEî, contains numerous inaccuracies. Chief amongst these is the following statement:

ìSecure your domain with Internet Registry in the new system before 31st July. Any existing registration period for your domain will be added to your two year registration!î

This statement could be taken to mean that registrants can renew their existing .au domain name for a period longer than 2 years. THIS IS INCORRECT.

Domain names in .au can only be licensed for 2 year periods and cannot be renewed until 90 days before they are due to expire. Registrants should be wary of paying for renewal at any earlier time.

Please see auDA's previous Consumer Alert about early renewalsat http://www.auda.org.au/about/news/2002032202.html

auDA has lodged a complaint about Internet Registry with ACCC.

Protecting yourself

Registrants should be aware that only auDA Accredited Registrars and their appointed resellers are bound to abide by the Code of Practice and auDAís published policies. Registrants should be wary of dealing with organisations that are not Accredited Registrars or their appointed resellers. A list of Accredited Registrars is available at http://www.auda.org.au/registrars/ and a list of appointed resellers will be published at the beginning of August.

Pricing

Since the introduction of competition, consumers now have a range of price and service offerings to choose from auDA strongly encourages registrants to compare prices charged by Accredited Registrars and their appointed resellers.

If you believe you have been misled or deceived into renewing your domain name license to your disadvantage, then you should contact the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC is responsible for administering the Trade Practices Act 1974, which contains prohibitions against certain types of misleading or deceptive conduct. Contact details are at accc.gov.au

For further information see auda.org.au or you can contact auDA by emailing info@auda.org.au.

TOP OF PAGE

---

Roundtable Productions  June 27, 2002

.au Competition Brings New Pricing, New Rules and New Products from July 1, 2002

With the beginning of open competition in the Australian domain space we are reviewing our prices for .com.au domain registrations, transfers and renewals.  We expect our new prices to be even cheaper and to remain competitive with other providers when the new .au domain name system opens on July 1, 2002.

The new system brings many changes to the rules of eligibility for  Australian domain names and the management of  registrations.  For most registrants, the process will be easier and provide more opportunities to register Australian names.  The eligibility test has been relaxed to enable more people and organisations to register .au domain names and eligible entities may now register multiple .au names.

New application forms will be available as soon as possible.

New Australian Domain Products

From July 1 we will also be able to offer registrations for the other Australian domains that have been opened up to competition:

.asn.au (for community groups and associations)
.id.au (for individual Australian citizens).
.net.au (for anything related to technology)
.org.au (for not-for-profit organisations)

For further information about the changes to policy, rules and eligibility in the Australian domain space refer to the draft policy documents at  auDA  (Australian Domain Authority Ltd). Roundtable Productions voluntarily complies with auDA's Interim Code of Conduct .

Watch this page for news of developments as the Australian domain space goes through these exciting changes.

TOP OF PAGE