Domain Names Delegation Policies for ccTLD .do

Effective from: December 10, 2009
Last modification: May 2, 2017

I.    BACKGROUND 

In 1995, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), currently operated by ICANN, delegated the administration of the Top Level Domain .do to the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM).

The Domain Name Registry under the ccTLD .do is administered by the Network Information Center .do (NIC .DO) of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) according to the principles contained in RFC 1591.

The PUCMM as the administrator of the Top-level domain .do has established the present policies, which govern the delegation of domain names under the ccTLD .do.

II.   DEFINITIONS 

 ccTLD

The Country Code Top Level Domain are the codes used to designate the top-level domains for countries or territories in the Domain Name System of the Internet. These territory codes are represented by a two-letter suffix assigned according to ISO 3166-1 alpha2.  In the case of Dominican Republic, the Top Level domain is the .do.

gTLD

Those are the acronyms used to designate generic Domain Names such as .com, .net, .org, etc.

Domain Name

It is a set of characters used to identify a site on the Internet.

Registry .do

NIC .DO, entity responsible for operating, administering and granting the registration of domain names under the ccTLD .do, is responsible for maintaining the technological infrastructure for the operation of the Domain Name System for .do

Registrar

Refers to the legal entity accredited to distribute and offer services of Registration and Administration of Domain Names. Also known as Registrar Agent.

NIC .DO Registrar

Registrar Agent operated by NIC .DO.

Registration Agreement

It is the acceptance of the Domain Name Delegation Policies under the ccTLD .do for registration of a Domain Name.  It´s formalized, for both NIC.DO and the Registrant, when NIC .DO receives the request for registration of a domain name by the channels established by NIC .DO and the requirements and respective payments are fulfilled.

The Registration Agreement is complemented by the Dispute Resolution Policies and others complementary policies established by NIC .DO, that are published by NIC.DO en its websites.

DNS

Acronyms used to refer to Domain Name System and/or to the Domain Name Server in a different way. The first is the computer system used to translate domain names into IP addresses and vice versa, and the second one corresponds to the computer equipment used to perform the function of resolution and translation of domain names.

Applicant

Any individual or legal entity that initiates the request of a domain name for itself or on behalf of a third party.

Contacts

Figures created to facilitate the administration of a domain name. There are four types of contact for each domain name: Registrant, Admin, Technical and Billing.

Registrant or Domain Name Holder

The person or company to which NIC .DO has delegated a domain name. Is responsible for the domain name. Must be the end user of the domain, whether this is a natural or legal person.

WHOIS

Database System used for the query of domain names and their main data, which can be consulted publicly through NIC .DO website. Mechanism for knowing the ownership of a domain name.

 Main data

Data provided by the applicant in the process of registration of the domain name: Domain Name; Name, address, telephone and email of the Registrant of the domain name and of the Administrative, Technical and Payment Contacts of the domain name; Name and IP address of each of the domain name servers (if applicable).

 IP

Internet Protocol. Nomenclature used to assign computer equipment a numerical address.

Phishing

Is the use of false web page dsigned to trick users into reveling personal data, like user name, passwords or financial data.

Pharming

Is the redirection of internet users to other services or Websites differnt than the ones the user wishes to visit; usually through de exploit of a vulnerability in the software of the Domain Name Systems server or in the user’s own equipment.

Diseminación de Malware

Is the intentional distribution or “malignant” software design to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s consent, including, without limitation, computer viruses, worms, keyloggers, and troyans.

Alojamiento de FLUJO RÁPIDO (FAST FLUX HOSTING)

It’s a technique to host Phishing, Pharming, Malware sites and nets, and to thwart methods employed to defend oneself against such practices, where the IP address related to fraudulent websites is rapidly change so that the correct locations of the website is difficult to locate.

DDoS (Denegación de servicio Distribuidos)

It is an attack to a computer system or net that causes a service or resource to be inaccessible to the legitimate users. Normally causes the loss of the connectivity with the red by the usage of computer resources, like bandwidth, space disk, processing time. Consist in sending a massive amount of petitions to the server, causing it to overload and cannot continue to render its service.

 Botnetting

It is the development and use of a command, agent, motor, service or software that is implemented (a) to exercise remote control over the equipment or computer system of an internet user with its knowledge or consent, or (b) to generate attacks of rejection of distributed services (DDoS)

Hacking Malicioso

It is the attempt to have unauthorized accessed (or exciting the level of authorization) to a computer, information system, account, user profile, data base or security system.

III.  GENERAL DISPOSITIONS 

1. This document constitutes part of the Domain Name Registration Agreement under the ccTLD .do, whose acceptance is an essential requirement for the registration of a domain name.
2. The Applicant and the Registrant of a domain name under the ccTLD .do hereby declare that they know and accept the express commitment to abide by and be governed by the Domain Name Delegation Policies, by the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, by the Regulation of the dispute resolution policy concerning to domain names and the annexes and complementary policies established by the ccTLD .do, without reservations of any kind, as published at any time by NIC .DO.
3. NIC .DO only administers the domain name space under the ccTLD .do, therefore, any consequence derived from the registration and/ or use of domain names, which constitutes or may constitute violations of applicable law, including the contents; it is the sole responsibility of the Registrant of the domain name.
4. NIC .DO maintains a list of names that cannot be registered as domain names (Reserved Names) as being related to or refer to, including but not limited to:
   1. The structure of IANA
   2. The structure of ICANN
   3. Internet Terms
   4. Existing gTLDs and ccTLDs, proposed in the process of been approved by the competent authority.
   5. Terms reserved for NIC .DO operation
5. NIC .DO can register, deny, modify, renew, block, delete, transfer and/ or suspend a domain Name due to the following reasons:
   1. Comply with a firm sentence issued by a judicial authority of the Dominican Republic or in compliance with any dispute resolution process conducted by dispute resolution provider authorized by NIC .DO
   2. To avoid civil or criminal liability that may be derived for NIC .DO, its officers, directors, administrators, partners, agents or collaborators by the use of the services.
   3. Correct any errors made by NIC .DO in the offer or provision of services.
6. NIC .DO may suspend, block, cancel, transfer or take ownership of any domain name under the .do ccTLD when NIC .DO, in its sole discretion, determines that such domain name is been used in activities that may put at risk or affect the stability, integrity or security of both NIC .DO and its Registrars, Registrants and Internet users in general. Such activities include, without limitation, the following:
   1. Phishing
   2. Pharming
   3. Malware Dissemination
   4. FAST FLUX HOSTING
   5. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
   6. Botnetting
   7. Hacking Malicious
7. Requests for registration may be processed through NIC .DO or a Registrar or Reseller Authorized by NIC .DO.
8. The basic operations that can be performed in relation to a Domain Name under .do include: Registry, Renewal, Modification, Transfer, Elimination, Restoration such operations can only be performed through the selected Registrar according to the terms and conditions contained in the policies stablished by NIC .DO.
9. The present Policy has been established in Spanish, by providing a translation of it, it is provided for reference purposes only. In case of conflict between the Spanish version and the translated version, the Spanish version will prevail. In addition, the official language for the communications is Spanish.
10. The electronic mail is established as the only official way of communication with NIC .DO. In cases where the exchange of physical documents is necessary, a courier service will be used, where the delivery and delivery dates will be recorded. All documentation to be sent to NIC .DO must be addressed to the physical address published in the portal www.nic.do.
11. Should any modifications or updates to these Policies occur, they will become effective immediately after being published on the NIC .DO website (www.nic.do).

IV.   ABOUT DOMAIN NAMES 

1. The characteristics that a domain name must fulfill are the following:
   1. The total length of the domain name must not exceed 63 characters.
   2. The minimum length for second-level domains is two letters characters.
   3. The minimum length for third-level domains is one character.
   4. Valid characters are numbers (0-9), English alphabet letters and hyphen (-).
   5. In the case of the dash (“-“), it cannot go at the beginning or the end of the character combination that is requested, nor can it be used in the third and fourth positions simultaneously. For example “xn--1k2n4h4b
2. Domain Names are delegated to an entity or person for a renewable period. If the domain incurs in any of the causes of elimination, it will be released and will be available so that any third party can request it.
3. Domain Names registered in the 3rd. Level (eg .com.do), whose registration for any reason is deleted, cannot be registered again if they are in the list of Names Reserved by NIC .DO.
4. The domain names that correspond or refer to names of provinces of the Dominican Republic and whose names are included in the list of reserved names can only be registered in the 2nd. Level by the Dominican Government.

V.    ABOUT APPLICATIONS 

Requirements

1. It is essential to provide, at the time of making the request, the exact and complete information that NIC .DO requests from both the Administrative, Technical and Payment contact, as well as the person and organization that requests or entrusts the registration of the domain name. This information must be kept up to date to ensure that it remains accurate and correct during the period of registration and/ or use of the domain name. Failure to comply with this requirement is grounded for the suspension and/ or removal of the domain name;
2. Domain names under classifications gob.do, gov.do and mil.do will only be delegated to military and government institutions of the Dominican Republic, and their delegation has additional requirements that must be met at the time of the request.
3. NIC .DO will not accept applications for registration of Domain Names under the ccTLD .do that do not comply with the requirements established in this policy and wil only have the responsibility to provide information related to the denial of registration.
4. Applications for registration will be processed under the “First come, first served” principle.
5. Applications for domain names under the ccTLD.do that are already registered in NIC .DO will not be accepted.

Classifications

1. To register a domain name under the ccTLD .do you must choose one of the permitted subdomains detailed on the website nic.do.
2. These classifications may vary prior notice of NIC .DO through its website.

VI.   ABOUT REGISTRATIONS 

1. By requesting the registration of one or more domain names under the ccTLD .do, you acknowledge and agree to:
   1. To the best of your knowledge, neither the registration of the domain name(s) nor the manner in which it is to be used violate directly or indirectly the rights of a third party;
   2. That when registering a Domain Name it is the responsibility of the Registrant of the domain name to ensure that it does not violate any right over a trademark or any other intellectual or industrial property rights and in general the applicable national and international legal order in the matter;
   3. That authorizes that the main data provided during the registration process of the domain name(s), as well as dates related to the registration, expiration and modifications to the domain name(s), appear in the WHOIS database or are published, transmitted, reproduced, disclosed and publicly communicated by NIC .DO;
   4. That any data or information generated in the records of NIC .DO related to the domain names can be sent to the Authority that so requests;
   5. In the event of any conflict between a third party owner of a registered trademark and the Registrant of the domain name, it is submitted to resolve the controversy that may arise in this regard through the Dispute Resolution Procedure regarding domain names for the ccTLD .do, as well as its respective Regulations. The Registrant undertakes to abide by the decision of the Group of Experts of the Center of Dispute Resolution that knew the cause, regarding the questioned domain name, even if the decision is to cancel or transfer said domain name to the third trademark holder. Failure to comply with this obligation will determine the termination of the contract by NIC .DO and posterior elimination of the domain name. Likewise, accepts any resolution derived from these or the procedures established in the Domain Name Delegation Policies for .do, not reserving any action or right to execute against NIC .DO, the dispute resolution service provider in question, The group of experts or any of the members of this group;
   6. That will not hold NIC .DO or any of its officers, managers, advisers, representatives, members of the University, employees, business partners and/or technician accountable, in any way and/or circumstance for the damages that may suffer if the present procedure of request and registration of domain name cannot be finalized for any reason, or if the present domain name registration is canceled after having materialized and processed.
2. Domain Names may be registered for a minimum period of one (1) year and a maximum of ten (10) years.

VII.  ABOUT RENEWALS

1. The right to use a domain name may be extended by paying Renewal fees.
2. The renewal must be made at the latest by the due date.
3. By maintaining the renewal of a domain name, the Registrant acknowledges and accepts the terms and conditions of the Domain Name Delegation Policies for .do, The Controversies Dissolution Policy in .do, Domain Name matter, the Controversies Dissolution Policy Regulation in .do Domain Name matter, and the attachments and complementary policies stablished by ccTLD .do, without any reservations of any kind, as published at any time by NIC .DO.

VIII.  ABOUT MODIFICATIONS

1. The modifications are any changes or updates to the data associated with a Domain Name.  The modifications that can be made to the domain name are:
   1. Changes to the Registrant and its associated data, such as address, telephone number, email, among others.
   2. Change of the administrative, technical and payment contacts, as well as the data associated with the contacts.
   3. Add, remove, or modify DNS servers.
2. It is not allowed to modify the name of a Domain Name.

IX.   ABOUT TRANSFERS 

1. The Registrant may transfer the administration of a Domain Name from one Registrar to another.
2. In order to initiate a transfer you must provide to the new Registrar the Domain Name to be transferred and the authorization code. The current Registrar must supply the authorization code.
3. The Registrant acknowledges and agrees that the transfer process imply the automatic renewal of the Domain Name for an additional year.

X.    ABOUT SUSPENSION

1. By suspension is meant the temporary interruption of the service of domain name resolution by DNS, during the the suspention period the domain will continue to be assign to the Registrant nonetheless the services implemented with the domain name will stop working.
2. Without prejudice of any disposition indicated here, a domain name can be suspended:
   1. Failure to pay a fee within the defined payment period. The suspention period in this case will be of 45 days before its elimination, shall payment be received during this suspension period the domain will be reactivated.
   2. To comply with a judgment issued by a judicial authority of the Dominican Republic or in compliance with any administrative dispute resolution process conducted by the dispute settlement provider of NIC .DO.
   3. By NIC .DO when the Registrant of the domain name (s) violates any of the points established in the present Policies.
3. When a Domain Name is not renewed on the expiration date, before being eliminated it goes through the following periods:
   1. Renewal Grace Period, status “Suspended”, are 30 days after the expiration date of a Domain Name, during this time the emails and other applications will stop working.
   2. Redemption Grace Period, “Pending Deletion” Status, If a domain name is not Renewed within the Renewal Grace Period, it is queued for deletion for a period of 15 days. During this time, the domain can be recovered at an additional cost to the renewal fee.

XI.   ABOUT REMOVAL AND RESTORATION

1. By removal is meant the disabling of the domain name to be resolved by the DNS of the Internet, founding it available to be requested by any other person.
2. Without prejudice of any disposition indicated here, a domain name can be removed:
   1. By NIC .DO at the end of the period of validity and not be renewed within the established period.
   2. By the Registrar, at any time.
   3. To comply with a judgment issued by a Dominican Republic Court Authority or in compliance with any administrative dispute resolution process conducted by the dispute settlement provider of NIC .DO.
   4. By NIC .DO when the Registrant of the domain name (s) violates any of the points established in the present Policies.
3. Restoration is the process by which the Registrar can recover a Domain Name whose status is “Pending Deletion”; the Registrar can recover the domain for an additional cost to the renewal fee.

XII.  DISPUTE RESOLUTION POLICY ON DOMAIN NAMES 

1. Controversies between the Domain Name Holder and NIC .DO
   1. Any dispute, controversy or claim between the owner of a domain name and NIC .DO resulting from the application of these policies or related to them, their non-compliance, interpretation, resolution or nullity shall be resolved by direct agreement between them and, failing that, shall be subject to Arbitration administered by the Conciliation and Arbitration Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santo Domingo, Inc. These disputes submitted to arbitration shall be resolved in accordance with the provisions established in Law 50-87 dated June 4, 1987 on Chambers of Commerce and Production; Its amendments contained in Law 181-09 and Law 489-08 of December 19, 2008, on Commercial Arbitration; The Rules of the Arbitral Tribunal of the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santo Domingo, Inc., as well as any other applicable legislation in force in the Dominican Republic. The arbitrators will decide in law and may request the execution of precautionary measures.
   2. The dispute resolution processes will be carried out in Spanish.
2. Controversies between the Domain Name Owner and a third party.
   1. In the event of a dispute or controversy between the Owner of a Domain Name and a third party regarding the registration or use of a Domain Name, such dispute or controversy shall be subject to the provisions established in the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy for .do, the Regulation of the Domain Dispute Resolution Policy (the Regulation) for .do and the Additional Regulation of the Provider of the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Service (http://www.wipo.int/amc/es/domains/cctld).
   2. NIC .DO has selected the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center to handle disputes arising under the ccTLD .do concerning domain names.
   3. All applicants agree to submit to the procedure established by NIC .DO and will be bound by the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy concerning domain names under the ccTLD .do, the Domain Dispute Resolution Policy Regulation under the ccTLD .do and Additional Provider Regulation of the domain name dispute resolution service under the ccTLD .do, which are incorporated into this Agreement by reference and forming part of it.
   4. For adjudication of disputes concerning or arising out of the registration and use of a Domain Name including any challenge to a decision under the Dispute Policy, the Registrant shall submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Dominican Republic.