Upon consultation with the Cooperative members, DENIC eG has decided to introduce a Redemption Grace Period (hereinafter referred to as RGP) for the TLD .de. What does this mean? When a domain contract is terminated, the related .de domain will no longer be deleted IMMEDIATELY; instead there will be a cooldown phase of a defined limited period. During this cooldown phase, the domain holder will be able to reactivate the domain. If DENIC does not receive any reactivation request, the domain will be deleted permanently once the cooldown phase has expired. Other registries already apply similar policies.

This procedure shall protect domain holders against unintentional loss of their domain by accidental deletion and give them the possibility to restore the original registration condition of their domain during the cooldown phase. The launch of the RDG is scheduled for the second half of 2013.

The model described below reflects all the considerations DENIC has made until today as to the actual design of a RGP under .de. The model is to be understood as a general concept defining the essential framework conditions in line with existing processes at DENIC. The final concept of the RGP policy with all its details shall be defined after a four-week discussion and feedback phase, which starts with the publication of this concept on DENIC's public and member mailing lists.

Basics and standard procedures

After completion of the necessary amendments to the DENIC Domain Terms and Conditions and the implementation of the new RGP procedure DENIC intends to apply the following future procedure for domain deletions: Principally, all deletion requests will be governed by the new RGP regulations. This means, that domain deletion will be considered as temporary for a set period and will only become permanent and effective after a seven-day transition period (cooldown phase). As soon as the cooldown phase has started, the data of the previous domain holder will no longer be communicated via the information services (whois, DCHK). Additionally, the domain will be displayed with the status "waiting to be deleted" and will be disconnected in the Domain Name System (DNS). The date as of which the domain will be available for registration again will be published via the information services. However, this date will only be valid subject that none of the following scenarios occurs: (a) a RESTORE request is made (i.e. the deletion is annulled and the domain concerned is reregistered in the name of its former holder), (b) a provider transfer password is requested (AUTHINFO-Request), or (c) the previous domain holder explicitly requests the immediate deletion of the domain. If none of these situations occurs during the seven-day cooldown phase, DENIC will delete the domain concerned and it will become available again for registration by others.

Provisions for special cases (out-of-band deletions)

Different from this standard procedure, an out-of-band deletion procedure will apply in the event that the previous domain holder explicitly requests the immediate deletion of the domain (immediate out-of-band deletion after appropriate checks by DENIC). The RGP regulations do not apply either to domains bearing a DISPUTE entry. As in the past, such domains will be transferred to the respective DISPUTE holder as soon as they become available again. The RGP will further not be applicable, if DENIC itself deletes a domain (e.g. as a result of a final judgement).

RESTORE of deleted domains during the RGP phase

If DENIC receives a RESTORE request within the seven-day RGP period starting with the submission of the DELETE request, the domain will be restored with the former holder data and permanent deletion thus will not be effected. Only the DENIC member that has administered the domain in the name of the domain holder up to that date is authorized to restore the domain.

AUTHINFO request for deleted domains during the RGP phase
If the former holder wants to transfer administration of the domain to another DENIC member than the one that was responsible up to then, they can do so within the seven-day RPG phase by applying the established provider transfer procedure for .de (AUTHINFO), i.e. by submitting an AUTHINFO request to DENIC. The domain holder will then be sent a provider transfer password (AUTHINOF) by post, which serves as an authorization to move the domain concerned to another DENIC member, who subsequently will be responsible for administering the domain in the name of the domain holder.

If DENIC receives an AUTHINFO request during the RGP phase, the cooldown phase of the domain concerned automatically extends by 30 days at maximum. During the extended RGP phase the DENIC member currently administering the domain may submit a RESTORE request or the domain may be reactivated by means of a provider transfer request stating the provider transfer password (AUTHINFO). If DENIC neither receives a RESTORE request nor an authorized provider transfer request during the extended RGP phase, DENIC will delete the domain concerned upon expiration of the phase. If an AUTHINFO request is submitted, DENIC may also effect an early deletion of the domain after appropriate checks, provided the current domain holder has sent an explicit declaration of intent in this respect to DENIC (out-of-band deletion).

Costs

For domain holders of domains that are administered by a DENIC member, § 4(2) of the DENIC Domain Terms and Conditions (www.denic.de/en/domains/general-information/terms-and-conditions.html) shall apply accordingly during the cooldown phase.

Feedback wanted

We explicitly invite you to give feedback on the process and procedure described above until 21 June 2013. Please send your e-mail to info[at]denic.de, stating "RGP" as subject matter.