When we register a domain, we are signing a contract with a registration company. Contracts often make for heavy reading and on many occasions, we accept them without being fully aware of what we are giving our consent to. These agreements are based on ICANN terms and conditions, but the law and regulations in the country where we are registering the domain are also important.

First and foremost, as the holder of a licence for a domain name we have the exclusive right to use that name for the period of time established. These periods normally range from one to ten years. The longer we register the domain for, the lower the annual price.

Apart from this, when we register a domain, we have some obligations. The first is to provide our data correctly and reliably, without any negative effects for third parties. This includes our full name, postal address and email. This information must be updated when the registration company asks us.

At the same time, we have a very important obligation to registration companies, which must keep our data safe so that it cannot be used fraudulently. However, whenever the authorities request data, they must provide them.

A domain registration works very much like any other contract. There are agreements between the registration company and the domain purchaser, but above this is the current legislation in each territory where the domain is contracted. Because of this it is important to know where our registration is located, and which laws govern the domain contract. For instance, if we have a domain name dispute, it will be the courts in the country of registration who will decide.