auDA have confirmed Notices of Breach have been issued to the NetAlliance group of registrars – NetAlliance, NetAlliance Domain No 1 And Ziphosting – whose best known brand is NetFleet, for failing to meet the Accreditation Criteria outlined in their respective Registrar Agreements. I broke this story in late October when sources told me the breach notice was originally issued, however auDA is only claiming they issued the breach last week. I also believe there has been action taken in Australia’s Federal Court recently by various parties involved in this saga.
auDA’s Accreditation Criteria outline important requirements that each Registrar must fulfil in providing registrar services to registrants. These include having adequate staff, systems and procedures to manage customer inquiries and support services, customer billing, customer complaints and policy compliance checks.
The Registrars have 10 days to demonstrate to auDA that they have returned to compliance with the Accreditation Criteria and the relevant Registrar Agreement.
If the Registrars do not return to compliance, auDA intends to exercise its termination right under the relevant Registrar Agreement and will implement a caretaker process to manage impacted domain names.
In my original story I also wrote how this breach could impact on the Webcentral takeover by Australian wholesale telecommunications company 5G Networks. However it appears any slight chance this could happen has not eventuated with the threat of Keybridge Capital, holder of a 9.24% shareholding Webcentral who intended to vote against the 5GN takeover having their threat nullified through acceptances of enough shareholders to pass the takeover.
auDA was approached for comment but did not respond.