I - GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. INTRODUCTION

1. The Charter of the Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération (French Network Information Center), hereafter referred to as the "Naming Charter", is a consensual document whose aim is to ensure that domain names in the ".fr" zone are managed through agreement, for the benefit of all parties.

2. The Naming Charter is drawn up according to decisions taken by the relevant authorities within the AFNIC, working together with the "concertation committees" making up the organisation.

3. Consequently, the Naming Charter is an evolving document, resulting from the deliberations, work and agreements made by the AFNIC's members and partners.

4. Within the Naming Charter, the following terms will be defined as follows:

• "AFNIC": Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération (French Network Information Center), an association governed by the law of 1 July 1901 and the decree of 16 August 1901, to which the responsibility of administering the ".fr" Internet naming zone is delegated. The statutes and mission statement of the AFNIC are available on its website.
  
  
• "Naming Charter": The Charter is made up of the present document and the Procedural Guide. It is completed by a set of documents and information available on-line at the AFNIC website or directly from the association on request.
  
  
• "Internet Service Provider (ISP)": Technical service provider having signed a membership agreement with the AFNIC, in charge of processing the requests of its clients (the requesting bodies) in terms of domain name administration. List of ISPs.
  
  
• "Requesting body": Any natural person or legal entity requesting an administrative operation on a domain name, via an ISP who is a member of the AFNIC.
  
  
• "Administrative operation": Any administrative or technical operation relating to a domain name, based on requests and documents presented by ISPs. Examples are operations such as, but not limited to, Creation, Modification, Maintenance, Transmission, Transferring to another ISP, Removal, etc. of a domain name.
  
  
• "Procedural Guide": Document setting out all the technical details relating to carrying out an administrative operation on a domain name.

2. CONDITIONS OF ".FR" ACCESS

5. The enforceable version of the Naming Charter is the one available on the AFNIC website on the day that the AFNIC receives a request for an administrative operation from an ISP. Unless otherwise specified, new rules cannot be applied retroactively.

6. The Naming Charter only applies to domain names in the ".fr" naming zone.

7. A domain name within the ".fr" naming zone can be attributed to any requesting body officially registered in France or to any natural person living in France or of French nationality, within the provisions of the present Charter.

8. The attribution of a domain name grants the right to use the name to the requesting body and not to the ISP.

9. The ISP is the link between the AFNIC and the requesting body.

10. The technical relationship established between the AFNIC and the ISP within the framework of an administrative operation on a domain name is organised in accordance with the Naming Charter and put into practice by applying the Procedural Guide available on the AFNIC website.

11. Requesting Bodies must apply to an ISP for all types of administrative operation.

12. In particular, the ISP is responsible for:

• gathering all supporting documentation and information relating to a request for an administrative operation;
• checking the validity of the supporting documentation and information;
• following the instructions in the Procedural Guide.
• the ISP has a special responsibility to inform its clients, the requesting bodies, of any change or development affecting it (development or closure of the company, collective proceedings etc.) that could have an impact on the proper management of the domain names of the requesting bodies.

13. The requesting body must:

• Read and accept the terms of the present Charter;
• Verify that the request, and in particular the choice of wording to be used for the domain name:
  • Is legal in the eyes of the law and in particular the rules on public order,
  • Does not infringe the rights of third parties, such as (but not limited to) copyright, trademarks, human rights etc.
  • Complies with the provisions of the present Charter.
• Supply the ISP with the supporting documentation required as specified in the present Charter.
• Ensure that the information supplied to the ISP is correct and undertake to bring it up to date if necessary.

14. The requesting body has sole responsibility for documents, information and requests addressed to the ISP. The ISP is responsible for the proper forwarding of these documents to the AFNIC and for proper data entry within the framework of an administrative operation on a domain name. The requesting body must contact the ISP with any question or complaint regarding the request.

15. The role of the AFNIC is limited to administering the requests sent by ISPs, a list of which is available on the AFNIC website, in accordance with the present Naming Charter. It ensures that the Naming Charter is respected, in particular by checking that proper supporting documents or proofs are supplied with requests for administrative operations.

16. The AFNIC cannot be held responsible for any administrative operation on a domain name carried out in accordance with requests submitted by an ISP.

17. The AFNIC is in no way responsible for verifying the contents, conformity or legality of supporting documentation submitted or communicated to it, insofar as these documents or details are approved or drafted by third parties (the clerk of the commercial court, the INPI (patent and trademark office), the préfecture (regional government), etc.).

18. The AFNIC does not research prior claims to domain names, but remains the guardian of the proper application of the Naming Charter. In this capacity, it will suspend any administrative operation requested on a domain name if the documents and/or information submitted do not comply with the provisions of the Naming Charter, but is not obliged to do so.

19. The AFNIC also reserves the right to suspend any domain name or request for an administrative operation in any case in which the provisions of the Naming Charter have not been respected or have been avoided, but is under no obligation to do so.

20. The right to use a domain name is dependent on the payment of an annual maintenance fee.

21. During the period of operation of a domain name, this maintenance fee is due from the most recent ISP responsible for the domain name, one year after the last fee-incurring administrative operation.

22. The administrative operations defined in the present document (section III) are invoiced to the ISP that requested them.

3. PRACTICAL PROVISIONS

23. The Naming Charter may be consulted at any time on the AFNIC website.

24. The Naming Charter is also available in the following format:

• Adobe PDF [.pdf]

25. To obtain a list of the most recently attributed domain names, the requesting body or the ISP can consult the AFNIC website.

26. For any other information, it is advisable to contact the appropriate attribution organisations, a list of which is available on the AFNIC website.