Domain name renewal/registrations

Unsolicited letters offering domain names

Domain name holders, in particular small business operators, are still being caught out by unsolicited letters offering domain name registrations.

These letters range from completely bogus invoice-like letters attempting to fool the account payer, to letters that are offering a new domain name very similar to the business’ existing one. The letters can result in the business being either the victim of a scam or the unwitting owner of a new domain name.

Some of the letters may also be offering other services such as website hosting or redirecting, or email services.

The ACCC has taken court action against traders who have been involved in misleading and deceptive activities in this area, however, businesses and consumers who are not fully aware of the domain name registration process or system may still be paying for unwanted services.

How to avoid problems

Domain name holders and business operators can avoid problems associated with unsolicited letters by becoming familiar with the domain name renewal process, and setting in place some simple administrative practices:

  • Do not assume that any renewal notice is from your original supplier. You may receive many such offers from operators competing for your business or scammers.
  • Keep a good record of domain name registration details—including the name of the registrar and the renewal date. Domain name registrations for .au domains such as www.your-business.com.au are renewed every two years, while .com domains are registered in yearly increments.
  • Check all details on any invoice or letter. Is it the proper name of your website address? Is it .com or a net.au? The letter might be trying to sell you a new domain name or another type of service.
  • To check that your domain name is registered or who your registrar is use a 'whois' search to check the details of a domain name. For .au domains go to http://www.ausregistry.com.au/registrars.php. For .com domains there are a number of searches eg www.betterwhois.com.
  • Carefully check the rates and terms and conditions of the renewal notice and compare this with the current provider of your domain name licence.
  • Lists of accredited registrars are available at www.auda.org.au (Australia) or www.icann.org for .com domain names.

Prices for domain names vary—shop around for the best deal

What’s in a domain name?

Domain names provide a system of easy-to-remember internet addresses, which can be translated by the Domain Name System (DNS) into the numeric addresses (Internet Protocol (IP) numbers) used by the network. For example a domain name will be similar to www.your-business.com.au but its IP number or address will be similar to 204.96.78.4.

A domain name for a website can remain unchanged if the website is moved to a different host computer or server. However, an IP address will change if the server changes. This is similar to a business moving premises—the business name will stay the same but the street address will be different.

The business domain name

The business domain name usually includes the business or product name to make it easily identifiable to potential customers. However, domain names are more than just the business name.

A domain name includes a core name plus a domain name level that often indicates where the domain name is registered. www.your-business.com says that the files are located in the World Wide Web (www), it has the core name ‘your business’ and is registered at the .com level while www.your-business.com.au, looks similar, but the .au indicates that the domain name is registered on the registry for Australian domains.

A domain name does not necessarily indicate where the website associated with that domain name is hosted, however an IP address can provide this information through an IP Whois search.

Same core name, but different domain names

Domain names can include the same core name but not be the same domain name or even belong to the same business, for example:

  • Business A sells coffee wholesale and is called Express Coffee.
  • Business B specialises in fast delivery coffee and is called Coffee Express.

Business A has the domain name www.coffee-express.com.au registered while Business B has www.coffee-express.net.au registered.

Even though the core name in the domain name is the same ‘coffee-express’, the two are not interchangeable—one is .net.au while the other is .com.au.

Many businesses choose to register many different levels of their name to ensure that all versions lead to their website.

It is this aspect of the domain name system that is exploited in some of the letters being sent out soliciting domain name registrations.

It is important to note that a registered business name does not guarantee that the business name can be used for a domain name

The main players in the domain name arena

Australian .au domain name—key groups

auDA has been delegated authority by the Australian Government to manage the .au domain. auDA accredits and licenses registrars. For more information go to http://www.auda.org.au.

Registry operators are licensed by auDA to manage and maintain the database that contains the domain names registered by registrars on behalf of registrants. Ausregistry is currently the only licensed registry for the domain names—.com.au, .net.au, .id.au and .asn.au. For details go to http://www.ausregistry.com.au/registrars.php.

Registrars are accredited by auDA. They sell domain name licences to registrants. The registrar is responsible for checking that the registrant is eligible for the domain name and for updating information on the Registry database on behalf of the registrant. Registrars can use the services of a reseller. For a list of auDA accredited registrars for .au domains go to http://www.ausregistry.com.au/registrars.php.

Resellers operate through an agreement with a registrar. Resellers are not accredited but often have a contractual relationship with a registrar. They offer domain name registration and related services and deal directly with the registrant but do not have access to the registry.

Registrant is an individual, company or organisation that is granted a licence for a .au domain.

Non .au domain names

Most countries have domain name registries for their own country level domain names such as .uk (United Kingdom), .ca (Canada) and .in (India)

Links to other registries can be found on the website for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) http://www.icann.org.

ICANN is an internationally organised, non-profit corporation that has responsibility for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, protocol identifier assignment, generic (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain name system management, and root server system management functions.

Renewal dates for domain names

Domain name registrations for .au domain names are renewed every two years. The time for registration renewals for other types of domains may be different, for example, .com domain names can be renewed in yearly increments.

It is important to note domain names are leased and not owned. If not renewed a domain name can be registered by another eligible party

For more information on the domain name industry

Where to go if there are problems

If you feel that you have been misled contact the Office of Fair Trading in your state or territory. You can find relevant contact details in our Consumer & business directory, which is available on the left-hand side of this page or you can contact the ACCC Infocentre on 1300 302 502.

How to protect yourself against domain name scams

Complete the following and keep it handy for everyone involved in the bill paying process:

  • my correct domain name/s
  • my domain name registrar/s or re-seller/s
  • my domain name renewal date/s.

If the letter is not from your registrar you do not have to send money. If in doubt contact your original registrar

For further information and tips about avoiding domain name renewal scams, visit the ACCC’s SCAMwatch website (look under the “Internet scams” heading).

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For more information

SCAMwatch
The ACCC’s SCAMwatch website provides information on common scams. The website has tips on how to protect yourself from scams and report them to the relevant agencies.