ICANN Annual Review?

How come I have never heard of this before?

[hannamyluv]

I got an email from godaddy today regarding a few domain names I have in my account. It stated that it needed me to do my "annual review" of contact information.

Except, I have never been asked before to do an annual review of my domains and I have had a few of my domains for several years. The domains they are asking me to review for, I have not had for a year yet but they do have different contact information than the other domains in my account.

So, is this someone checking up on the contact info and godaddy is trying to politly not say that someone thinks I am a liar? Or is this a legitimate thing that I have just missed in the past? Or is the fact that I have different contact info a trigger for this?

[hannamyluv]

Okay, nevermind. The email for the rest of the domains just arrived in the appropriate email box. I guess it is a normal thing. I guess this must be new as I have never received this email before.

[davezan]

Oh don't worry about it. Registrars routinely send out blanket notices to their customers
reminding them to ensure their domains' contact details are complete and accurate.

But...it never hurts to verify anyway. ;)

[encyclo]

I received a great glut of these messages today too - it is not the first time I have seen this, I have received them every year for the last couple of years. Quite normal. :)

[hannamyluv]

Well, I panicked a little on the first email because the domains are typos of another website, a non trademarkable term but none the less, I thought, since the email at that time had come only for those domains, that someone was checking up on them trying for a falsified info grab.

[kaled]

I found this when I followed a link in my email

At least annually, a registrar must present to the registrant the current Whois information, and remind the registrant that provision of false Whois information can be grounds for cancellation of their domain name registration. Registrants must review their Whois data, and make any corrections.

If domains can really be cancelled because of duff whois information, there are a lot of dodgy webmasters out there who should be worrying about now.

Kaled.

[hannamyluv]

If domains can really be cancelled because of duff whois information

Yes, they really can, but only if someone makes a formal complaint about it. That was what I was worried about. If this was a polite note from godaddy to conceal that someone had made a formal complaint (hoping that I wouldn't notice and then have my domains taken and made avaliable). It is a possibility with these particular domains as they can't be trademarked so I could not be forced off them through normal legal channels.

There have been cases of domain owners losing their domains to people filing these complaints who then snatch the domains up when they are deemed falsified.

I have to admit, the person sitting on the domain name that is my son's name has very obviously falsified his info. I almost... almost filed a complaint so that I could pick up the domain for my son. But, in the end, I just could not bring myself to stoop that low. ;)

[GeorgeK]

See the "WHOIS Data Reminder Policy" (WDRP) which ICANN created a while ago:

[icann.org...]

That's why you are receiving those notices.

[mcavic]

almost filed a complaint so that I could pick up the domain for my son

I'd probably do it, but then it would just be auto-grabbed by a domain seller with non-falsified info.

[kaled]

But, in the end, I just could not bring myself to stoop that low.

My policy is "never give a scumbag an even break". If the website is just adsense garbage or other nonsense then don't feel bad about doing it.

Kaled.

[aeiouy]

Yeah but the process allows for a person to rectify their information before they lose their domain, so all it would likely accomplish is a change of information.

Although I know some domain registrars automatically bill the customer when they do such an investigation.