NIRA REGISTRANT AGREEMENT
Version
1.0, May 5, 2008
This agreement
(the “Agreement”) is between the Nigeria Internet Registration
Association (“NIRA”) and you (the “Registrant”)
RECITALS
A.
NIRA has approved the application of the Registrant’s Registrar for
either the registration of one or more Domain Names in the Registry
in the name of the Registrant;
B. This Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions which govern the registration in the Registry by NIRA of Domain Name(s) in the name of the Registrant from time to time pursuant to this Agreement (collectively, the “Domain Name Registrations” individually, a “Domain Name Registration”); and
C. Capitalized
terms used in this Agreement have the meaning given to them in this
Agreement,
including in Section 1.2.
In consideration of
the registration by NIRA in the name of the Registrant of the Domain
Name Registrations from time to time and other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, NIRA and the Registrant agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
INTERPRETATION
1.1 Application. This Agreement between the Registrant and NIRA applies to all Domain Name Registrations made by the Registrant.
1.2
Definitions. In this Agreement:
(a) “Account Information” means the user account and password (including any supplementary or substitute password issued by NIRA to the Registrant) information provided by NIRA, from time to time, to the Registrant for use in connection with Domain Name Registrations;
(b) “Activation” or “Activated” means the activation of a Domain Name Registration which shall be deemed to occur upon the activation time and date stated in the confirmation email sent by NIRA to the Applicant or Registrant confirming the activation of the Domain Name in the NIRA system;
(c) “Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person who directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under direct or indirect common control with such Person, and includes any Person in like relation to an Affiliate. A Person is deemed to control another Person if such Person possesses, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the term “controlled” has a corresponding meaning;
(d) “Agreement” means Sections 1-11 of this Agreement as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time;
(e)
“Authorized Representative” in the case of a Registrant
who is not an individual, means a representative of the
Registrant who:
(i) is an employee of the Registrant;
(ii) is a member of the board of directors of the Registrant;
(iii) is a
member of the board of governors of the Registrant; or
(iv) has
the association to bind the Registrant, provided such association is
not limited to .ng domain name related matters.
(f) “Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or any day on which banks are generally not open for business in the City of Lagos, Nigeria;
(g) “Domain Name” means a .ng domain name or sub-domain name;
(h) “Fees” means the fees payable to NIRA in connection with an application for a Domain Name and/or any renewal, transfer, and any other fees payable in connection with a Domain Name Registration in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP. The fees which are payable by Registrars to NIRA are set forth in the document entitled Fees Policy as could be amended by NIRA from time to time;
(i) “Meeting” means a meeting of the Members of NIRA, called for any purpose;
(j) “Person” includes an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a trust, an unincorporated organization, association or club, the government of a country or any political subdivision thereof, or any agency or department of any such government, any of the individuals or entities listed in the Nigerian Presence Requirements for Registrants (as defined in the applicable Registry PRP) and the executors, administrators or other legal representatives of an individual in any of such capacities;
(k) “Registrant’s Registrar” means each Registrar which is authorized to apply on behalf of the Registrant, in accordance with the Registry PRP for the registration of a Domain Name and the renewal, transfer, modification and cancellation of, and to effect other requests and transactions with respect to, a Domain Name Registration, including any Registrar which is the Registrar of Record in the Registry for a Domain Name Registration;
(l) “Registrars” means the Persons from time to time certified by NIRA to offer Domain Name Registration services within the .ng Internet Domain Name system in accordance with the Registry PRP; and
(m) “Registry” means the .ng Internet Domain Name registry operated by NIRA.
(n) “Registration Information” means all information which the applicable Registry PRP require the Registrant to submit to NIRA or the Registrant’s Registrar to obtain a Domain Name Registration, any renewal, transfer, cancellation or modification of a Domain Name Registration or any other request or transaction with respect to a Domain Name Registration and all other information concerning the Domain Name Registration which appears in NIRA’s web-based look-up directory system (the “WHOIS”); and
(o) “Registry PRP” means the NIRA policies, rules, and procedures relating to registrants, Registrars, and Domain Name registrations as may be amended or adopted by NIRA from time to time and posted on NIRA’s website, including, without limitation, applications for Domain Name registrations and other transactions relating to Domain Name registrations.
ARTICLE 2
REGISTRATIONS
OF DOMAIN NAMES; TRANSFERS,
RENEWALS,
MODIFICATIONS AND
CANCELLATIONS OF DOMAIN
NAME REGISTRATIONS
BY THE
REGISTRANT; CHANGES OF REGISTRARS; CHANGE
OF REGISTRANTS
2.1 Registrations
of Domain Names.
(i) The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that applications for the registration of a
Domain Name shall be made to NIRA only by the Registrant’s
Registrar on behalf of the Registrant in accordance
with the
applicable Registry PRP.
(ii) Complete applications for the
registration of a Domain Name shall be processed by NIRA and
Domain
Names shall be registered by NIRA, in each case in accordance with
the applicable Registry
PRP. NIRA, in its sole discretion, shall
have the right to reject any application for the registration of
a
Domain Name and refuse to register any Domain Name for any reason
whatsoever with no liability
of NIRA whatsoever to the
Registrant, the Registrant’s Registrar or any other Person. NIRA
will
give notice to the Registrant’s Registrar by email if
NIRA so rejects such application.
(iii)The Registrant shall, in
each application for registration of a Domain Name, through the
Registrant’s
Registrar, select a registration period for the
registration of a Domain Name from one (1) to five (5)
years
from the date of the registration of the Domain Name (the
“Registration Period”). NIRA may,
at its option, extend the
Registration Period of any Domain Name Registration for such
further
period as NIRA may determine, at no additional charge to
the Registrant’s Registrar, by giving
notice to the Registrant
and the Registrant’s Registrar.
2.2 Renewals,
Transfers, Modifications, Cancellations and Other Transactions.
(i)
The Registrant acknowledges and agrees that a renewal, transfer,
modification or cancellation of, and any other request or transaction
with respect to, a Domain Name Registration shall be made either
a.
by the Registrant’s Registrar with respect to such Domain Name
Registration on behalf of the
Registrant in accordance with the
applicable Registry PRP in force at the time of receipt by
NIRA
of any completed application or request for the renewal, transfer,
modification or cancellation of a Domain Name Registration or other
request or transaction with respect to a Domain Name Registration; or
b. by the
Registrant submitting information with respect to the renewal,
transfer, modification,
cancellation or other transaction
directly to NIRA, as such may be permitted by NIRA. NIRA
will
notify the Registrant’s Registrar of any renewal, transfer,
modification, cancellation or
other transaction, except for NIRA
membership related transactions, made by the Registrant
submitting
information directly to NIRA.
(ii) Notwithstanding
Section 2.2 (i) above, the Registrant agrees that Membership
Information may be created, modified and cancelled only by sending a
request directly to NIRA.
(iii)The Registration Period of any
Domain Name Registration may be renewed for a period of one to five
years as selected by the Registrant through the Registrant’s
Registrar in accordance with the
applicable Registry PRP.
2.3 Changes of
Registrar.
(i) The Registrant may change its Registrant’s
Registrar with respect to a Domain Name Registration after the date
of Activation, at any time in accordance with the applicable Registry
PRP. The Registrant acknowledges and agrees that it shall continue to
be bound by its obligations under its agreement with its original
Registrar in accordance with such agreement.
(ii) In the event
that a Registrant’s Registrar is no longer a Registrar, has had its
certification as a
Registrar suspended, revoked or terminated,
or in the event the registrar agreement between NIRA
and the
Registrant’s Registrar (the “Registrar Agreement”) is
terminated or expires, the Registrant
shall be responsible for
changing such Registrant’s Registrar to a new Registrar in
accordance with
the applicable Registry PRP within thirty (30)
days of the earlier of notice thereof being given to the
Registrant
by
a. the
Registrant’s Registrar or
b. NIRA
in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP; provided, however, that if any of the Registrant’s Domain Name Registrations are scheduled to expire within thirty (30) days of the giving of such notice, then the Registrant shall have an additional thirty (30) days from the anniversary date of such registration to register with a new Registrar. If the Registrant wishes to renew such Domain Name Registration, the Registrant will be required to do so through its new Registrant’s Registrar in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP.
2.4 Right of NIRA to Verify Information and Compliance.
NIRA is entitled at any time during the Term (as defined in Section 5.1) to verify the accuracy and completeness of any information provided by the Registrant to NIRA, whether directly, through any of the Registrant’s Registrars or otherwise, including without limitation, the information provided by the Registrant him or herself or through any of the Registrant’s Registrars in any application to NIRA for the registration of a Domain Name or in connection with the transfer, renewal, modification, maintenance or cancellation of a Domain Name Registration and any other request or transaction with respect to a Domain Name Registration (collectively, the “Applications”) and, the compliance by the Registrant with the provisions of the Agreement including, without limitation, the applicable Registry PRP, and the terms and conditions of use of NIRA’s web site as set out in the Legal Notice (as defined in Section 3.1(o)).
The Registrant
shall cooperate with NIRA in connection with such verification which
shall be conducted in such manner as is deemed reasonable by NIRA and
in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP, and shall give and
shall cause the Registrant’s Registrar to give NIRA and its agents
and representatives such assistance and access to and copies of such
information and documents in any or all media regarding, and access
to the premises of, the Registrant as NIRA may reasonably request in
order to enable NIRA to complete such verification. NIRA shall be
responsible for its own expenses incurred in connection with any such
verification and the Registrant shall be responsible for any expenses
the Registrant incurs in complying with this Section 2.4. The
Registrant agrees to promptly execute and deliver to NIRA any
authorizations required to permit the verifications of NIRA under
this Section 2.4. If NIRA decides to verify and/or confirm
information and/or compliance, NIRA may proceed as follows:
(i) Send an email to the Registrant and/or the Registrant’s Registrar advising that the Registrant shall supply NIRA, either directly or via the Registrant’s Registrar, with valid information, as determined by NIRA in its sole and absolute discretion (the “Requested Information”) as set forth in the email within 7 days from the time and date of the email.
(ii) If NIRA
has not received the Requested Information within the 7 days, NIRA
will send a second
email to the Registrant and/or the
Registrant’s Registrar advising that the Registrant shall submit
the
Requested Information to NIRA, via the Registrant’s
Registrar, within 7 days of the time and date of the second email,
otherwise the Registrant’s Domain Name Registration(s) will be
suspended for 60 days.
(iii)If NIRA
has not received the Requested Information upon the expiry of the
second 7 day period,
NIRA will suspend the Domain Name and send
an email to the Registrant and the Registrant’s
Registrar
notifying them of the suspension and notifying them that upon the
expiry of the suspension period if NIRA has not received the
Requested Information, NIRA will cancel the Domain Name
Registration(s) and terminate the Registrant Agreement.
(iv) If NIRA has not received the Requested Information upon the expiry of the suspension period, NIRA will cancel the Domain Name Registration(s), terminate the Registrant Agreement and send an email to the Registrant and Registrant’s Registrar notifying them of the cancellation and termination. The Registrant may, at any time before the expiry of the suspension period, submit the Requested Information, either directly or via the Registrant’s Registrar, to NIRA.
2.5 Right of NIRA to Verify Information and Compliance in Person. In addition to, or as an alternative to, asking for the Requested Information, NIRA may at any time, in its discretion, also request that the Registrant attend in person at NIRA’s offices, or elsewhere as reasonably determined by NIRA, for an interview in order to verify the accuracy and completeness of information. If the Registrant fails or refuses to attend such an interview or attends but fails or refuses to provide satisfactory answers to NIRA’s request for information, or provides inaccurate information in response to such a request, NIRA may, upon reasonable notice to the Registrant and Registrant’s Registrar, suspend the Registrant’s Domain Name Registration(s) or cancel the Registrant’s Domain Name Registration(s) and terminates the Registrant Agreement, as NIRA deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
2.6 User
Information.
NIRA will issue Account Information from time
to time to the email address in the Registration Information for the
Registrant or for the person identified in the Registration
Information as the Administrative Contact for the Registrant’s
Domain Name Registration(s) (the “Administrative Contact”).
The Account Information shall be used only by the Registrant, or the
Administrative Contact, to confirm the identity of the Registrant to
NIRA and for other purposes as permitted pursuant to the applicable
Registry PRP. The Registrant acknowledges and agrees that until the
Registrant notifies NIRA that the Account Information may have fallen
in to the hands of an unauthorized user, the use of the Account
Information by any Person is deemed use by the Registrant.
2.7 Registrar As Agent.
The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that the Registrant’s Registrar is deemed
to be authorized to act as the Registrant’s agent in connection
with Domain Name Registrations, but not the Registrant’s NIRA
Membership. Further, the Registrant acknowledges and agrees that the
Registrant’s Registrar may, in accordance with the applicable
Registry PRP:
(i) make changes to the Administrative Contact details at any time without having to comply with the change of critical information approval process (as set out in the applicable Registry PRP), provided the Registrant has granted the Registrant’s Registrar the association to do so AND HAS NOT REVOKED SAID ASSOCIATION. If the Registrant has two or more Registrars, only one of the Registrant’s Registrars may be granted said association. The Registrant may at any time revoke said association or provide said association to another of the Registrant’s Registrars;
(ii) cancel, on behalf of the Registrant the Domain Name Registration within seven (7) Days of Activation for whatever reason and without the Registrant’s consent; and
(iii)cancel,
on behalf of the Registrant, a renewal term for the Domain Name
Registration, provided the renewal term has not yet commenced.
2.8 Administrative Contact as Agent.
Except as
provided in sections 2.10 to 2.12 below, the Registrant acknowledges
and agrees that the
Administrative Contact and any person who
uses the Account Information or who sends or receives emails from the
Administrative Contact’s email address as identified in the
Registration Information for a Registrant and Domain Name
Registration(s), is authorized by the Registrant to be NIRA’s only
contact for the Registrant and the Domain Name Registration(s) and is
recognized by NIRA and authorized by the Registrant to take any and
all actions in connection with the Domain Name Registration(s)
including, without limitation, transferring it to another Person or
obtaining the Account Information for the Registrant or replacement
of the Account Information.
2.9
Administrative Contact email Address.
The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that all NIRA notices to the Registrant,
other than as provided in sections 2.10 and 2.11 below, (in this
Agreement, the Registry PRP, and NIRA’s constitution) will be sent
by email to the Registrant’s Administrative Contact email address
as listed in the Registration Information only. The Registrant
further acknowledges and agrees that any reference to notices sent to
the “Registrant(s),” or “Applicant(s),” in this
Agreement, the applicable Registry PRP, and NIRA’s constitution
shall mean that the notices will only be sent to the Registrant’s
Administrative Contact. It is the responsibility of the Registrant to
ensure that the Administrative Contact’s email address is at all
times functional and accurate and to make arrangements with its
Administrative Contact to receive any and all notices sent by NIRA to
the Registrant’s Administrative Contact.
2.10 Members and Membership Representative.
The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that:
a. any
Registrant who is an individual and who is, or becomes, a Member of
NIRA will provide to
NIRA an email address, phone number(s)
and/or other contact information for Membership
purposes;
b.
any Registrant who is not an individual and who is, or becomes, a
Member of NIRA shall, in a
manner prescribed by NIRA, appoint a
Membership Representative and shall provide to NIRA an
email
address, phone number(s) and other contact information for the
Membership Representative;
and
c. the Registrant, in the
case of a Registrant described in section 2.10(a), or the
Membership
Representative, in the case of a Registrant described
in section 2.10(b), will be NIRA’s only contact
for all
matters related to the Registrant’s Membership in NIRA, to receive
notices sent to Members
on behalf of the Registrant and to
attend and vote at Meetings.
2.11 Member
Contact Email and Membership Representative Contact Email.
The
Registrant acknowledges that all notices sent to the Registrant by
NIRA in relation to Membership in NIRA, (pursuant to this Agreement,
the Registry PRP and NIRA’s constitution) will be sent by email to
the Registrant’s Member email address (for individual Registrants)
or to the Registrant’s Membership Representative email address (for
non-individual Registrants ). It is the responsibility of the
Registrant to ensure that the Member email address or Membership
Representative’s email address, as the case may be, is at all times
functional and accurate.
ARTICLE 3
CERTAIN REGISTRANT OBLIGATIONS
3.1 Certain
Registrant Obligations.
Throughout the
Term of this Agreement, the Registrant shall:
(a) comply
with and abide by all applicable Registry PRP (all of the applicable
Registry PRP can be
found at http://www.nira.org.ng);
(b) in
accordance with the applicable Registry PRP, submit to NIRA through
the Registrant’s Registrar or to NIRA directly, if NIRA, at its
complete discretion and sole option, deems it appropriate, all
Registration Information which NIRA may require;
(c) promptly give
notice to NIRA, of any change to any Registration Information, such
notice to be
given either through the Registrant’s Registrar
or, in exceptional cases, to NIRA directly;
(d) in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP, submit to NIRA all Membership Information, pertaining to the Registrant, which NIRA may require;
(e) promptly
give notice to NIRA of any change to the Membership Information
pertaining to the
Registrant;
(f) comply
with and observe all international, federal, state and local laws and
regulations and other
laws of applicable governmental
authorities relating to the Registrant’s Domain Name
Registration(s) (“Applicable Laws”);
(g) prior to
providing any Registration Information to NIRA through the
Registrant’s Registrar or
directly to NIRA if permitted or
requested by NIRA, obtain the written consents of individuals
whose
personal information will be held in the Registry where required by
Applicable Laws;
(h) at all
times ensure that the Registration Information is complete, accurate,
and in compliance with the applicable Registry PRP and this
Agreement, communicate to the Registrant’s Registrar (for
communication to NIRA) any changes to the Registration Information
and promptly confirm to
NIRA when NIRA so requests in accordance
with the applicable Registry PRP that the Registration
Information
is complete and accurate;
(i) immediately give notice to
NIRA of any pending or threatened claim, demand, action, cause
of
action, proceeding, lawsuit, investigation or application
(“Claim”) in relation to any Domain Name
Registration (or
any judicial requests or orders to produce documents or information
obtained from
or supplied to the Registry) that became known to
the Registrant;
(j) not engage
in any direct or indirect activity which in NIRA’s opinion is
designed to bring, or may
bring, the Registry into disrepute, is
designed to interfere, or may interfere, with NIRA’s operations
or
designed to expose, or may expose, NIRA to prosecution or to legal
action by the Registrant or a
third party including, but not
limited to, any of the following kinds of activities:
(i) directly or indirectly, defaming or contributing to the
defamation of any other Person,
(ii) unlawfully discriminating
or contributing to the unlawful discrimination of any other
Person;
or
(iii)committing any other actionable wrong
against any other Person including, without
limitation, any
other infringement of the Person’s rights;
(k) act in good faith towards NIRA;
(l) not allow any third party to use or operate any Domain Name Registration registered in the name of the Registrant and not register any Domain Name as agent for, or on behalf of, any third party in any manner whatsoever, including without limiting the generality of the foregoing, for purposes of lending, leasing, licensing or otherwise granting rights in such Domain Name Registration to any third party for monetary or non-monetary consideration unless such third party:
(i) otherwise qualifies under the applicable Registry PRP; or
(ii)
is an Affiliate of the Registrant.
For this purpose, “third party” means any Person other than
NIRA and the Registrant;
(m) be wholly responsible for the use and operation of any third,
fourth, or further sub-level domain to any second level Domain Name
Registration in the Registrant’s name and the Registrant shall
ensure that the use and operation of any such sublevel domain is
conducted in compliance with this
Agreement;
(n) not use any trade-mark, trade-name or symbol of NIRA or any
trademark, trade-name or symbol
likely to be confused therewith;
(o) be wholly responsible for taking, or ensuring that the
Registrant’s Registrar for a Domain Name
Registration takes,
all necessary steps to renew the Domain Name Registration in
accordance with
the applicable Registry PRP;
(p) ensure all fees payable to the Registrant’s Registrar or,
if applicable, the Registrant’s former
Registrar, for
registering, transferring, renewing, or a combination thereof any or
all of the
Registrant’s Domain Name Registrations, have been
paid when due; and
(q) comply with and abide by the terms and conditions for the
use of NIRA’s website as set out in the “Legal Notice”
on NIRA’s website.
3.2 Fees.
The Registrant acknowledges that the
Registrant’s Registrar is obligated to pay Fees. The
Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that, should there be
insufficient funds prepaid by any Registrant’s Registrar in the
NIRA deposit account to be applied in payment of any Fees, NIRA may
in its sole discretion stop accepting applications for Domain Name
Registrations from such Registrant’s Registrar, stop effecting
registrations of Domain Names and transfers, renewals, modifications
and cancellations of Domain Name Registrations requested by such
Registrant’s Registrar and stop performing other billable
transactions requested by such Registrant's Registrar not paid in
full and NIRA may:
(i) terminate the Registrar Agreement
between NIRA and such Registrant's Registrar; and
(ii) cancel or
suspend the relevant Domain Name Registration in accordance with
Article 6 hereof.
3.3 No Conflict.
The Registrant shall not enter into any
agreement with any Registrar or any other Person that is inconsistent
with, or in any way, modifies, affects, overrides, limits,
contradicts or cancels the terms and conditions of this Agreement and
the applicable Registry PRP. To the extent that the provisions of any
such agreement with the Registrant’s Registrar contravene the
provisions of this Agreement and the applicable Registry PRP, the
Registrant hereby agrees that the provisions of this Agreement and
the applicable Registry PRP shall prevail and be binding on the
Registrant for the benefit of NIRA.
ARTICLE 4
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
4.1 Consent to Use of Registration Information.
The Registrant hereby grants to NIRA the right to disclose to
third parties through the Registry the following information:
(a) each Domain Name Registration in the name of the
Registrant;
(b) the Registrant’s name, postal address, email
address(es), telephone number(s), and, where available, fax
number(s);
(c) the Registrant’s name and the Registrant’s
registrant number as assigned by NIRA;
(d) each Domain Name
Registration and domain number for each Domain Name Registration
as
assigned by NIRA;
(e) the description field which the
Registrant or the Registrant’s Registrar filled out during
the
registration process describing the Registrant or the
Registrant’s business;
(f) the Registrant’s “Pretty Good
Privacy” (“PGP”) public encryption key, if the Registrant
elects to use PGP encrypted email when communicating with NIRA;
(g)
the Registrant’s Membership status;
(h) the name(s), postal
address(es), email address(es), telephone number(s) and where
available, the fax number(s) of the Registrant’s Membership
Representative, in the case of Registrants who are not
individuals;
(i) the name(s), postal address(es), email
address(es), telephone number(s) and where available, the fax
number(s) of the Member, in the case of Registrants who are
individuals;
(j) the name(s), postal address(es), email
address(es), telephone number(s) and where available, the fax
number(s) of the technical contact and Administrative Contacts for
each Domain Name Registration;
(k) the Internet Protocol Number
of the primary name server and secondary name server(s) for
each
Domain Name Registration;
(l) the corresponding names
of those name servers;
(m) the registration date and the last
changed date of each Domain Name Registration;
(n) whether the
Domain Name Registration has been suspended or is in the process of
being transferred;
(o) the expiration date of each Domain Name
Registration of the Registrant; and
(p) the name of the
Registrant’s Registrar responsible for each Domain Name
Registration.
4.2 Personal Information of Registrant.
Except as set forth in this Agreement or the applicable
Registry PRP, personal information pertaining to the Registrant
belongs to the Registrant and shall not be collected or used by NIRA
except for the reasonable purposes of the operation of the Registry
and the implementation, execution, and enforcement of the applicable
Registry PRP or in accordance with Applicable Laws or the terms of an
order, ruling, decision or judgment of a court, tribunal, board,
administrative body or commission.
4.3 WHOIS.
The Registrant acknowledges and agrees that NIRA has no control
over how any member of the public uses the information disclosed by
NIRA through the WHOIS database whether or not the information is
subject to domestic or foreign privacy laws.
ARTICLE 5
TERM
5.1 Term.
The
term of this Agreement (the “Term”) shall commence
effective upon the date that the Registrant enters into this
Agreement with NIRA and shall continue in force unless terminated as
set out herein.
ARTICLE 6
RIGHTS AND REMEDIES OF NIRA AND THE
REGISTRANT
6.1 Restrictions on Domain Name Registrations.
NIRA
may, in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP or if it deems it
necessary, in
its sole discretion and at its sole option, restrict the Registrant’s ability to renew or transfer any or all of the Registrant’s Domain Name Registrations. NIRA may also restrict the Registrant’s ability to merge the Registrant’s Domain Name Registrations or Registration Information with any other Domain Name Registrations or Registrant, at any time and for any reason whatsoever.
6.2 Cancellation within 7 Days.
NIRA may, upon
the Registrant’s Registrar’s request, acting on behalf of the
Registrant and in accordance with applicable Registry PRP, cancel the
Domain Name Registration within seven (7) Days of Activation without
the Registrant’s consent and for any reason whatsoever. NIRA shall
notify the Registrant if a Domain Name Registration has been
cancelled pursuant to this provision.
6.3 Cancellation within 30 Days.
NIRA may, in its
sole discretion and its sole option, cancel a Domain Name
Registration for any reason whatsoever within 30 days after the date
the Domain Name Registration is Activated with no liability of NIRA
to the Registrant, the Registrant’s Registrar or any other Person
by giving notice to the Registrant and the Registrant’s
Registrar.
6.4 Cancellation Due to Non-Payment of Fees
to Registrar.
NIRA may, in accordance with the applicable
Registry PRP, cancel a Domain Name Registration if the Registrant
fails or failed to pay to the Registrant’s Registrar or former
Registrant’s Registrars, when due, any fees for registration,
transfer, and/or renewal of Domain Name Registrations.
6.5 Cancellation by NIRA of Domain Name Registrations.
NIRA may, in
its sole discretion and at its sole option, in accordance with the
applicable Registry PRP, cancel a Domain Name Registration in the
event that:
(a) the
Registration Information concerning such Domain Name Registration
contains false,
misleading, or inaccurate information;
(b)
the Registrant’s Registrar fails to pay to NIRA when due any Fees
payable by the Registrant’s
Registrar with respect to a Domain
Name Registration under the Registrar Agreement or the Registry
PRP;
(c) the Registrant breaches any term of this Agreement or
any of the Registry PRP or any terms and
conditions of the Legal
Notice;
(d) the Registrant at any time fails to meet the
Nigerian Presence Requirements for Registrants for
closed
SLDs;
(e) the Registrant disrupts or abuses NIRA’s Registry
services as determined by NIRA in its sole
discretion, acting
reasonably;
(f) the Registrant allows any third party to use or
operate any Domain Name Registration or
registers a Domain Name
as agent for, or on behalf of, a third party in any manner
whatsoever
which contravenes Section 3.1(l) of this Agreement;
or
(g) the Registrant provides false or misleading information
in relation to Membership in NIRA or
fails or refuses to respond
fully to any request by NIRA for information in relation to
Membership in NIRA. and, in any such event, the Registrant fails,
within five (5) Business Days after the receipt of a notice from NIRA
to remedy the event. The Registrant agrees to promptly give notice to
NIRA of the occurrence of any of the events listed in Sections 6.5(a)
and 6.5 (c) to
(f). NIRA will give no less than thirty (30)
days’ notice to the Registrant and the Registrant’s Registrar of
any cancellation of a Domain Name Registration under this Section
6.5.
6.6 Cancellation, Transfer and Suspension in Particular Circumstances.
NIRA may, in
its sole discretion and at its sole option, in accordance with the
applicable Registry PRP, immediately cancel or transfer a Domain Name
Registration or suspend a Domain Name Registration, for such time
period as NIRA may determine in its sole discretion, in the following
circumstances, by giving notice to the Registrant and the
Registrant’s Registrar:
(a)
circumstances where maintaining the Domain Name Registration would
put NIRA in conflict
with requirements of Applicable Laws,
including, without limitation, applicable federal, state or local
human rights legislation or the Criminal Code (Nigeria), or the terms
of an order, ruling, decision or judgment of a court, tribunal,
board, administrative body, commission or arbitrator including,
without limitation, an order, ruling, decision or judgment of the
Human Rights Commission of the government of Nigeria;
(b)
circumstances where the cancellation, transfer or suspension of a
Domain Name Registration
is required by an order or decision
under NIRA’s Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy as set out in
the applicable Registry PRP or an order, ruling, judgment or decision
of a court, tribunal, board, administrative body, commission or
arbitrator; and
(c) circumstances where the registration or use of the Domain Name Registration conflicts with applicable Registry PRP;
(d) the Registrant engages in any direct or indirect activity which in NIRA’s opinion is designed to bring, or may bring, the Registry into disrepute, designed to interfere, or may interfere, with NIRA’s operations or is designed to expose, or may expose, NIRA to prosecution or to legal action by the Registrant or a third party including, but not limited to, any of the following kinds of activities:
i. directly or
indirectly, defaming or contributing to the defamation of any other
Person,
ii. unlawfully discriminating or contributing to the
unlawful discrimination of any other
Person, or
iii. committing any other actionable wrong against any other Person including, without limitation, any other infringement of the Person’s rights; or
6.7 Suspension of Domain Name Registrations to Preserve Integrity of the Registry.
NIRA may, in
its sole discretion following procedures NIRA deems appropriate from
time to time, suspend a Domain Name Registration for such period of
time as NIRA may determine in the event that NIRA, acting reasonably,
considers that such suspension is necessary to preserve and protect
the integrity and the rights and interests of any of the Registry,
the Registrant, the Registrant’s Registrar, other registrants or
Registrars and/or third parties.
6.8 Suspension May Precede Cancellation.
Prior to
canceling any Domain Name Registration pursuant to Section 6.2, 6.3,
6.4, 6.5, or 6.6, NIRA may, in its sole discretion, first suspend the
Domain Name Registration for such period as NIRA may determine in
its sole discretion. NIRA shall give notice of the suspension to the
Registrant and the Registrant’s Registrar in accordance with the
respective Section and the applicable Registry PRP. The time period
of the suspension may be extended at any time by NIRA in its sole
discretion.
6.9 Suspension and Cancellation for Failure to Renew.
A Domain Name
Registration shall be cancelled by NIRA for failure to renew the
Domain Name Registration in accordance with the applicable Registry
PRP. The Domain Name Registration shall first be suspended for
failure to renew in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP. NIRA
shall give notice of the suspension to the Registrant and the
Registrant’s Registrar in accordance with the applicable Registry
PRP. During the period of suspension as prescribed by the applicable
Registry PRP, the Registrant may at any time renew the suspended
Domain Name Registration by complying with the applicable Registry
PRP with respect to renewals. The Domain Name Registration shall be
cancelled by NIRA in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP if
the Registrant fails to renew such Domain Name Registration during
the period of suspension.
6.10 Suspension and Cancellation for Failure to Confirm Registration Information.
NIRA may in
its sole discretion and at its sole option immediately suspend a
Domain Name Registration for failure by the Registrant or the
Registrant’s Registrar to confirm the accuracy and completeness of
Registration Information which NIRA requests be confirmed in
accordance with the applicable Registry PRP. During the period of
suspension as prescribed by the applicable Registry PRP, the
Registrant may at any time reactivate the suspended Domain Name
Registration by confirming the Registration Information in accordance
with the applicable Registry PRP. If a Registrant fails to confirm
the Registration Information in accordance with the applicable
Registry PRP within the period of suspension prescribed by the
applicable Registry PRP, NIRA may, in its sole discretion, cancel the
Domain Name Registration in accordance with the applicable Registry
PRP on no less than thirty (30) days’ notice to the Registrant and
the Registrant’s Registrar.
6.11 Suspension or Cancellation by Registrant.
The Registrant
may at any time, through the Registrant’s Registrar, request NIRA
to suspend or cancel a Domain Name Registration, and NIRA shall
comply with such request, in accordance with the applicable Registry
PRP. The Registrant’s Registrar shall not be entitled to any refund
of any Fees in such event. A Domain Name Registration which the
Registrant requested be suspended may be reactivated at any time by
the Registrant in accordance with the applicable Registry PRP.
6.12 Effect of Suspension.
During any
period in which a Domain Name Registration has been suspended
pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement:
(a) the Domain
Name Registration will not be included in the list of Domain Name
Registrations
transferred on a daily basis to the Registry’s
primary domain name server;
(b) an Internet user will not be
able to send an email or access a web page which incorporates
such
Domain Name Registration;
(c) NIRA will continue to
list such suspended Domain Name Registration in the WHOIS look
up
system of the Registry and the WHOIS look up system will
indicate that the Domain Name Registration has been suspended;
(d)
NIRA may reactivate the suspended Domain Name Registration at any
time in its sole discretion; and
(e) NIRA may extend the period
of suspension at any time for such period as NIRA may determine
in
its sole discretion.
6.13.
Effect of Cancellation of a Domain Name Registration.
Upon the
cancellation by NIRA of a Domain Name Registration pursuant to this
Agreement:
(a) the Registrant will no longer be entitled to the
use of such Domain Name Registration;
(b) the Domain Name
Registration will be deleted from the Registry and will be available
for
registration in the name of another Person;
(c) an
Internet user will not be able to send an email or access a web page
which incorporates such
Domain Name;
(d) NIRA will list the
cancelled Domain Name Registration as available in its WHOIS look up
system; and
6.14 Prohibition on New Registrations.
If the
Registrant breaches the Registrant’s obligations contained in
Section 3.1(l) of this Agreement
prohibiting the use by Persons
other than the Registrant of a Domain Name Registration and the
registration of Domain Names by a Registrant as agent for, or on
behalf of, any third party:
(a) NIRA may,
in its sole discretion following procedures NIRA deems appropriate
from time to time, prohibit the Registrant, by giving seven (7) days
notice thereof to the Registrant, from registering any new Domain
Names for a period of up to one (1) year from the date of such
notice; and
(b) if the
Registrant is also a Registrar, the Registrar shall be deemed to have
breached its Registrar
Agreement with NIRA and NIRA may then
revoke the Registrar’s certification and terminate the
provisions
of the Registrar Agreement with NIRA.
6.15 Termination of Agreement by NIRA.
NIRA may, in
its sole discretion and at its sole option, terminate this Agreement
by giving notice thereof to the Registrant (such termination to be
effective on the date specified by NIRA in the notice) in the event
that:
(a) the
Registrant breaches any term of this Agreement or any of the
applicable Registry PRP;
(b) the
Registrant disrupts or abuses NIRA’s registry services as
determined by NIRA in its sole
discretion, acting reasonably;
(c) all of the
Domain Name Registrations registered in the name of the Registrant
have been cancelled or have expired;
(d) the Registrant allows any other Person to use or operate any Domain Name Registration or applies to register a Domain Name as agent for, or on behalf of, a third party in any manner whatsoever which contravenes Section 3.1(l) of this Agreement; or and, in any such event, the Registrant fails within seven (7) calendar Days after the receipt of the notice from NIRA to remedy the event. NIRA will give no less than thirty (30) days notice to the Registrant and the Registrant’s Registrar of the termination under this Section 6.15.
6.16 Termination Due to Dissolution, Bankruptcy, Amalgamation, Change of Name etc.
In the event
that:
(a) the
Registrant is insolvent or bankrupt or subject to the provisions of
the Bankruptcy and Insolvency
Act (Nigeria) or any other similar legislation of any jurisdiction, or makes a proposal under such legislation, or goes into liquidation, either voluntarily or under an order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors;
(b) the
Registrant ceases to carry on business in the normal course,
dissolves or is wound up;
(c) a receiver or other official having similar functions is appointed over a substantial portion of the assets of the Registrant; or
(d) the Registrant amalgamated with another Person, changed its name, or ceased to exist as the Person listed in the WHOIS;
then NIRA may in its
sole discretion and at its sole option terminate this Agreement and
cancel the
Registrant’s Domain Name Registration(s) by giving
no less than seven (7) days notice to the Registrant.
For greater
certainty, if any of the foregoing events occur, in no event shall
any receiver, trustee, creditor or other Person have any right
whatsoever to the Domain Name Registration(s).
6.17
Termination by Registrant.
The Registrant shall be entitled (through the Registrant’s Registrar) to terminate this Agreement at any time’by giving thirty (30) days notice to NIRA.
6.18
Registrations of Cancelled Domain Names.
The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that in the event of the termination of this
Agreement or the cancellation of any Domain Name Registrations by
NIRA or the Registrant pursuant to this Agreement, NIRA shall have
the right to allow any other Person to register the Domain Name that
was the subject of the Domain Name Registration without any liability
of NIRA to the Registrant, any of the Registrant’s Registrars or
any other Person.
6.19 Termination to Result in Cancellation of all Domain Names.
The
termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.15, Section 6.16
or Section 6.17 shall result in the automatic cancellation of all
Domain Name Registrations in the name of the Registrant.
ARTICLE 7
LIMITATIONS ON WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION
7.1 Limitation On Warranties And Conditions.
NIRA makes no
representation, warranty or condition, whether oral or written,
express or implied, statutory or otherwise, including, without
limitation, any warranty or condition of quality or fitness for a
particular purpose or non-infringement or that the registry will be
available at all times during the term or with respect to
functionality, freedom from bugs or viruses, compatibility or
interoperability of the registry or the systems accessed by the
registrant’s registrar (s) and/or the registrant or with respect to
the security of the registry or any systems accessed by the
registrant’s registrar (s) and/or the registrant, including without
limitation, those provided by third party software, hardware,
internet and/or telecommunications or other service providers or
otherwise with respect to the services provided hereunder.
7.2 Use Of Domain Names.
The registrant
agrees that NIRA shall not be responsible for the use of or right to
use any domain name registered in the registry and that NIRA shall
not be responsible in any way whatsoever for any conflict or dispute
with or any claim against the registrant or a registrant’s
registrar including one relating to a registered or unregistered
trade-mark, a corporate, business or other trade name, rights
relating to a name or other identifying indicium of an individual or
any other intellectual property rights of a third party, or relating
to defamation of or unlawful discrimination with respect to any other
person. the registrant acknowledges and agrees that the registration
of a domain name does not create any proprietary right for the
registrant, a registrant's registrar or any other person in any name
used as a domain name or in any domain name registration, and the
entry of a domain name in the registry in the “whois” database
shall not be construed as evidence of ownership of the domain name
registered as a domain name. the registrant shall not in any way
transfer or purport to transfer a proprietary right in any domain
name registration or grant or purport to grant as security or in any
other manner encumber or purport to encumber any domain name
registration.
7.3 Limitation Of Liability
NIRA’s
aggregate liability to the registrant, including, without limitation,
for all breaches by NIRA of this agreement, shall be limited to the
amount of fees relating to the registrant’s domain name
registrations paid by the registrant’s registrar(s) to NIRA.
7.4 Additional Limitations Of Liability.
(1) in no event, whether as a result of breach of contract, tort liability (including negligence) or otherwise, shall NIRA or its directors, officers, employees, agents or representatives be liable to the registrant for any special, indirect, incidental, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages or for economic loss or resulting from loss of use, lost business revenue, lost profits or third party damages.
(2) in no event shall the registrant pursue any claim against NIRA and in no event shall NIRA be liable for any loss, damage or expense (including, without limitation, any special, indirect, incidental, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages or for economic loss or damages resulting from loss of use, lost profits, lost business revenue or third party damages) arising out of, resulting from or in any way connected with:
(a) any access
delay or access interruption;
(b) any data
non-delivery or data misdelivery;
(c) any unauthorized use or misuse of the user account or private password provided to the registrant by NIRA;
(d) any error, omission or misstatement in any information or service provided under this agreement;
(e) the
deletion of or failure to store email messages;
(f) a computer
bug or virus or other system malfunction;
(g) NIRA’s
failure or refusal to register a domain name, NIRA’s registration
of a domain name,
NIRA’s failure or refusal to renew a domain
name registration, NIRA’s renewal of a domain name registration,
NIRA’s failure or refusal to transfer a domain name registration,
NIRA’s transfer of a domain name registration, NIRA’s failure or
refusal to maintain or modify a domain name registration, NIRA’s
maintenance of a domain name registration, NIRA’s modification of a
domain name registration, NIRA’s failure to cancel a domain name
registration or NIRA’s cancellation of a domain name registration
from the registry, the loss of membership in NIRA resulting from
NIRA’s cancellation of a domain name registration from the registry
or from a member’s failure to comply with the registry PRP, or
NIRA’s refusal to admit an applicant as a member;
(h) the
processing by NIRA of any application for the registration of a
domain name or any other
application or request, NIRA’s
processing of any authorized or unauthorized changes to
the
registrant’s information or the failure by the
registrant’s registrar to pay any fees;
(i) any breach by a registrant’s registrar of its obligations under its agreement with the registrant or its agreement with NIRA or any other action or omission of the registrant or a registrant’s registrar;
(j) the
application of NIRA’s domain name dispute resolution policy or
rules or the compliance
with any order, ruling, decision or
judgment made thereunder or by any court, tribunal,
board,
administrative body, commission or arbitrator and any
actions taken in consequence thereof;
(k) the use of any domain
name in the registry and any conflict or dispute with or any claim
(as
defined in section 3.1(i)) against the registrant or the
registrant’s registrar, including one
relating to:
i. registered or
unregistered trade-marks;
ii. business names, partnership names,
corporate names and other trade names;
iii. names or indicia of
individuals or groups or individuals;
iv. any other intellectual
property rights;
v. defamation of any person; or
vi.
unlawful discrimination with respect to any person; or
(l) NIRA’s failure to confirm or verify any membership information.
7.5 Indemnity.
The Registrant
agrees to indemnify and save NIRA and its contractors, agents,
employees, officers,
directors, Members, affiliates and assigns
harmless from and against any and all damages, liabilities,
obligations, losses, claims, demands, actions, causes of action,
lawsuits, penalties, costs and expenses (including, without
limitation, reasonable legal and other related costs) arising out of
or in any way connected with:
(a) any breach
of or non-fulfillment of any covenant or agreement on the part of the
Registrant under this Agreement; or
(b) any
incorrectness in or breach of any representation or warranty of the
Registrant contained in this Agreement;
(c) the services of NIRA provided hereunder or the use by the Registrant of NIRA’s services, including without limitation violation by the Registrant of any intellectual property or other right of any Person and any defamation of or unlawful discrimination against any Person or any violation of any of the applicable Registry PRP relating to the services provided; or
(d) the actions or omissions of the Registrant and the Registrant’s Registrar(s).
ARTICLE 8
REGISTRANT REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES & INDEMNITIES
8.1 Corporations.
Where the
Registrant is a corporation, the Registrant covenants, represents and
warrants to NIRA as follows:
(1) Incorporation
and Power. The Registrant is a corporation duly incorporated under
the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation and is duly
organized, validly subsisting and in good standing under
such
laws.
(2) Authorization. The Registrant has all necessary corporate power, association and capacity to enter into this Agreement and all other documents and instruments contemplated by this Agreement and to carry out its obligations under this Agreement and such other documents and instruments. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and all other documents and instruments contemplated by this Agreement and the performance by the Registrant of its obligations under this Agreement and such other documents and instruments have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Registrant.
(3) Enforceability
of Obligations. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding
obligation of the
Registrant enforceable against the Registrant
in accordance with its terms subject, however, to
limitations on
enforcement imposed by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or
other laws
affecting creditors’ rights generally and to the
extent that equitable remedies such as specific
performance and
injunctions are only available in the discretion of the court from
which they are
sought.
8.2 Partnerships and Trusts.
Where the
Registrant is a partnership or a trust, the Registrant covenants,
represents and warrants as follows:
(1) Existence. The Registrant is duly formed, organized, established and validly existing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it was formed, organized and established.
(2) Authorization. The Registrant has the power, association and capacity to enter into this Agreement and all other documents and instruments contemplated by this Agreement and to carry out its obligations under this Agreement and such other documents and instruments. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and all other documents and instruments contemplated by this Agreement and the performance by the Registrant of its obligations under this Agreement and such other documents and instruments have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Registrant.
(3) Enforceability
of Obligations. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding
obligation of the
Registrant enforceable against the Registrant
in accordance with its terms subject, however, to
limitations on
enforcement imposed by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or
other laws
affecting creditors’ rights generally and to the
extent that equitable remedies such as specific
performance and
injunctions are only available in the discretion of the court from
which they are
sought.
8.3 Other Registrants.
Where the
Registrant is not a corporation, a partnership or a trust, the
Registrant covenants, represents and warrants to NIRA as follows:
(1) Capacity. The Registrant has the legal capacity and all necessary power and association to execute band deliver this Agreement and all other documents and instruments contemplated by this Agreement and to perform the obligations of the Registrant under this Agreement and such other documents and instruments.
(2) Enforceability. This Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Registrant, enforceable against the Registrant by NIRA in accordance with its terms; subject, however, to limitations on enforcement imposed by bankruptcy, insolvency or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to the extent that equitable remedies such as specific performance and injunctions are only available in the discretion of the court from which they are sought.
8.4 Additional Representations, Warranties and Covenants.
The Registrant
represents, warrants and covenants to NIRA as follows:
(1) Association. The Registrant has or will have authorized each of the Registrant’s Registrars to apply on behalf of the Registrant for the registration of a selected Domain Name and to apply on behalf of the Registrant to transfer, renew, modify, maintain, terminate and take any other action with respect to a Domain Name Registration in the name of that Registrant for which a Registrant’s Registrar is the Registrar of record.
(2) Registration Information. All Registration Information is and at all times shall be true and accurate in all respects.
(3) Insolvency. The
Registrant is not an insolvent person within the meaning of the
Bankruptcy and
Insolvency Act (Nigeria) nor has made an
assignment in favour of its creditors or a proposal in
bankruptcy
to its creditors or any class thereof nor had any petition for a
receiving order presented in respect of it. The Registrant has not
initiated proceedings with respect to a compromise or
arrangement
with its creditors or, if the Registrant is a corporation or a
partnership, for its winding-
up, liquidation or dissolution. No
receiver has been appointed in respect of the Registrant or any
of
its assets and no execution or distress has been levied upon
any of its assets.
(4) No Infringement.
Neither the registration of any Domain Name nor the manner in which
the
Registrant intends to use or uses such Domain Name will
directly or indirectly infringe or otherwise
violate the
trade-mark or other intellectual property or other rights of any
Person or defame any
Person or unlawfully discriminate against
any Person or breach any Applicable Laws.
(5) Qualification. The Registrant meets the Nigerian Presence Requirements for Registrants.
8.5 Survival and Reasonableness.
The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that the limitations on warranties,
conditions and liabilities, the representations and warranties of the
Registrant contained in Article 8 and the restrictions and
indemnities set forth in Articles 7 and 8 shall forever survive the
expiry or termination of this Agreement or any suspension or
cancellation of any Domain Name Registration. The Registrant
acknowledges and agrees that such provisions are reasonable in the
context of NIRA’s status as a not-for-profit organization that is
performing a public service on a cost-recovery basis.
ARTICLE 9
LEGAL
RELATIONSHIP
9.1 Independent Contractors.
The legal
relationship between NIRA and the Registrant and NIRA and each
Registrant’s Registrar is that of independent contractors. Under no
circumstances shall this Agreement be construed to create a
partnership, agency or joint venture between NIRA and the Registrant
or NIRA and any of the Registrant’s Registrar(s).
9.2 No Agency.
Except as
provided in Section 9.3, neither party shall have any right, power
nor association to act on behalf of the other party and neither party
shall create any express or implied obligations or financial
commitments on behalf of the other party.
9.3 Appointment of NIRA as Attorney-in-Fact.
The Registrant
constitutes and appoints NIRA and any officer or agent of NIRA, with
full power of
substitution, as the Registrant’s true and
lawful attorney-in-fact with full power and association in the place
of the Registrant and in the name of the Registrant or in its own
name, from time to time in NIRA’s discretion after the occurrence
of any event listed in Sections 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8,
6.9, 6.10, 6.11,6.15, 6.16, and 6.17 to take any and all appropriate
action and to execute any and all documents and instruments as, in
the opinion of such attorney acting reasonably, may be necessary or
desirable to accomplish the purposes of this Agreement including,
without limitation, to preserve the rights of other registrants of
the Registry and the integrity of the Registry. These powers are
coupled with an interest and are irrevocable until this Agreement is
terminated.
9.4 Registrant as Member of NIRA.
Nothing in
this Agreement confers or shall be deemed to confer, Membership or
any rights of Membership on the Registrant. The Registrant
acknowledges that the Registrant may become and continue as a Member
of NIRA only in accordance with NIRA’s constitution, and applicable
Registry PRP. Copies of NIRA’s articles of incorporation and
constitution are set out on NIRA’s website.
9.5 NIRA Constating Documents and PRP.
Nothing in
this Agreement limits or shall be deemed to limit NIRA’s rights
pursuant to its Letters Patent, Constitution and Registry PRP.
ARTICLE 10
AMENDMENT
OF AGREEMENT
10.1 Amendment by NIRA.
(1) NIRA shall have
the right, at any time and from time to time, to amend any or all of
the terms and conditions of this Agreement provided that any such
amendment to this Agreement shall be
applicable to all Persons
seeking the registration of a Domain Name or who maintain a
Domain
Name Registration. Any such amendment to this Agreement
will be binding and effective upon the later of seven (7) days after
the posting of such amendment on NIRA’s website (currently
at
http://www.nira.ogr.ng) and seven (7) days after NIRA gives
notice that amendments to the
Registrant Agreement have been
made. The notice will only include a message that amendments to
the
Registrant Agreements have been made, a link to a summary of the
amendments, and a link to the amended Agreement in full.
(2) NIRA shall have
the right, at any time and from time to time, to amend any or all of
the Registry
PRP or establish new Registry PRP. Any such
amendment to the Registry PRP or new Registry PRP
will be
binding and effective no earlier than seven (7) days after the
posting of such amendment or
new Registry PRP on NIRA’s
website.
(3) The Registrant
agrees to periodically review NIRA’s website, including the current
version of this Agreement and the applicable Registry PRP available
on NIRA’s website, to be aware of any
amendments to this
Agreement and the applicable Registry PRP and any new applicable
Registry
PRP.
(4) If the
Registrant does not agree with any such amendment or new applicable
Registry PRP, then the Registrant may terminate this Agreement in
accordance with Section 6.17. By continuing to maintain Domain Name
Registrations in the Registry in accordance with this Agreement, the
Registrant agrees to be bound by such amendments and new applicable
Registry PRP after they become effective.
ARTICLE 11
GENERAL
TERMS
11.1 Registrant Bound as a Principal.
The Registrant
agrees that the Registrant is bound as a principal by all of the
terms and conditions of this Agreement, and the applicable Registry
PRP, notwithstanding that the Registrant’s Registrar and/or an
agent of the Registrant applied for the registration of the
Registrant’s selected Domain Name(s) on behalf of the Registrant.
The continued registration of the Registrant’s Domain Name
Registrations shall ratify any unauthorized actions of the
Registrant’s Registrar and any such agent. In addition, the
Registrant is responsible for any errors made by the Registrant’s
Registrar or any such agent.
11.2 Heading and Table of Contents.
The division
of this Agreement into Articles and Sections and the insertion of
headings are for convenience of reference only and will not affect
the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
11.3 Number and Gender.
Unless the
context requires otherwise, words importing the singular include the
plural and vice versa and words importing gender include all genders.
11.4 Statute References.
Any reference
in this Agreement to any statute or any section thereof will, unless
otherwise expressly stated, be deemed to be a reference to such
statute or section as re-enacted from time to time.
11.5 Notices.
To be
effective, any notice or other communication sent by:
(a) NIRA to
the Registrant under this Agreement or in connection with the
Registrant’s Domain Name Registration(s) must be in writing and
sent by email to the email address for the
Registrant’s
Administrative Contact which appears at the time
of the notice in the Registration Information; and
(b) the
Registrant to NIRA under this Agreement or in connection with the
Registrant’s Domain Name Registration(s) must be in writing and
sent by email to regsupport@nira.org.ng.
11.6 Time of Essence.
Time will be
of the essence of this Agreement in all respects.
11.7 Further
Assurances.
Each party will promptly do, execute,
deliver or cause to be done, executed and delivered all further acts,
documents and things in connection with this Agreement that the other
party may reasonably require, for the purposes of giving effect to
this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the
Registrant agrees from time to time at NIRA’s request:
(i) to execute and deliver to NIRA a paper version of the then current version of this Agreement; and
(ii) to confirm the
Registrant’s agreement and acceptance of the then current version
of this Agreement (including the applicable Registry PRP) in
accordance with the applicable Registry PRP.
11.8
Successors and Assigns.
This Agreement
will enure to the benefit of, and be binding on, the parties and
their respective
administrators, executors or other legal
representatives, successors and permitted and qualified assigns. NIRA
may assign or transfer all or any part of its rights and obligations
under this Agreement to any Person. NIRA shall provide the Registrant
and the Registrant’s Registrars with 30 days prior notice of any
such assignment or transfer. The Registrant shall not assign or
transfer, whether absolutely, by way of security or otherwise, all or
any part of its rights or obligations under this Agreement without
the prior written consent of NIRA, which consent may not be
arbitrarily and unreasonably withheld and any such purported
assignment or transfer, or attempt to so assign and transfer without
NIRA’s prior written consent, shall be of no force and effect. In
no event shall the Registrant or the Registrant’s administrators,
executors or legal representatives are permitted to assign or
transfer the rights or obligations of the Registrant under this
Agreement to any Person who does not meet the Nigerian Presence
Requirements for Registrants for the closed SLDs.
11.9 Entire Agreement.
This Agreement
(including the applicable Registry PRP and the Legal Notice which are
incorporated by reference herein) constitutes the entire agreement
between the parties pertaining to the subject matter of this
Agreement and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings,
negotiations and discussions, whether oral or written. There are no
conditions, warranties, representations or other agreements between
the parties in connection with the subject matter of this Agreement
(whether oral or written, express or implied, statutory or otherwise)
except as specifically set out in this Agreement.
11.10 Waiver.
A waiver of
any default, breach or non-compliance under this Agreement is not
effective unless in writing and signed by the party to be bound by
the waiver. No waiver will be inferred from or implied by any failure
to act or delay in acting by a party in respect of any default,
breach or non-observance or by anything done or omitted to be done by
the other party. The waiver by a party of any default, breach or
non-compliance under this Agreement will not operate as a waiver of
that party’s rights under this Agreement in respect of any
continuing or subsequent default, breach or non-observance (whether
of the same or any other nature).
11.11 Severability.
Any provision
of this Agreement which is prohibited or unenforceable in any
jurisdiction will, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the
extent of such prohibition or unenforceability and will be severed
from the balance of this Agreement, all without affecting the
remaining provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or
enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction.
11.12 Governing Law.
This Agreement
will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria and the laws of Nigeria applicable in
that State and will be treated, in all respects, as a State contract.
However, should the Consumer Protection Act (Nigeria) (the “Act”)
apply to this Agreement, where the Registrant is a consumer pursuant
to the Act and is domiciled in the State at the time he/she enters
into this Agreement, this Agreement will, in such circumstances only,
be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State
and the laws of Nigeria applicable in that State.
11.13 Attornment.
The Registrant
agrees that:
(a) any action
or proceeding instituted by the Registrant relating to this Agreement
or its dealings with NIRA shall be brought in a court of competent
jurisdiction in the any City in Nigeria and, for that purpose, the
Registrant now irrevocably and unconditionally attorns and submits to
the jurisdiction of such court;
(b) the
Registrant will not oppose the enforcement against it in any other
jurisdiction of any judgment or order duly obtained from an court as
contemplated by this Section 11.13. The Registrant agrees that NIRA
may, in NIRA’s sole discretion, bring any action or proceeding
relating to this Agreement in a court of competent jurisdiction in
any jurisdiction in which the Registrant is incorporated, registered
or resident or in which the Registrant has a place of business or in
a court of competent jurisdiction in any City in Nigeria. In any such
event, the Registrant agrees that
(i) it irrevocably
waives any right to, and will not, oppose any such action or
proceeding on any
jurisdictional basis, and
(ii) it will
not oppose the enforcement against it of any judgment or order duly
obtained from any
such court as contemplated by this Section
11.13.
11.14 Force Majeure.
(1) If, as a result (in whole or in part) of Force Majeure (as defined below), either party fails to perform or comply with any of its obligations under this Agreement, such failure will not constitute a default under or breach of this Agreement or give rise to any liability. The time for performing or complying with the obligation in question will be extended by a period equal to the period during which the Force Majeure operates to prevent (in whole or in part) compliance. The party whose performance is affected by the event of Force Majeure will promptly give notice to the other party of the occurrence of any Force Majeure, which prevents performance or compliance with an obligation under this Agreement
.
(2) For the
purposes of this Agreement, “Force Majeure” means any cause
beyond the reasonable
control of the party seeking to take
advantage of such Force Majeure, including, without limitation,
any
strike, lock-out, labour dispute, act of God, inability to obtain
labour, utilities or services, acts of any government association,
enemy or hostile actions, sabotage, war, blockades, insurrections,
riots, epidemics, pandemics, washouts, nuclear and radiation activity
or fallout, civil disturbances, explosions, fire or other casualty,
unanticipated loads of transactions in the Registry system, breaches
of security, computer viruses, faults in third party software and
equipment and degradation or failure of telecommunications services;
provided that if any such event is reasonably foreseeable by the
party seeking to take advantage of such Force Majeure, such party
shall have taken all reasonable steps within its reasonable control
to avoid the occurrence of such Force Majeure.
11.15 Remedies Cumulative.
The rights and
remedies of NIRA under this Agreement are cumulative and no exercise
or enforcement by NIRA of any right or remedy hereunder shall
preclude the exercise or enforcement by NIRA of any other right or
remedy hereunder or to which it is otherwise entitled by law to
enforce.
11.16 Language.
The parties to
this Agreement have required that this Agreement and all deeds,
documents and notices relating to this Agreement, be drawn up in the
English language.
11.17 Electronic Copies.
The parties to
this Agreement agree that, for electronic versions of the Registry
PRPs and electronic versions of this Registrant Agreement (the
“Electronic Documents”), only Portable Document Format (“PDF”)
formatted, NIRA authored or approved, Electronic Documents, are
acknowledged by NIRA as authoritative Electronic Documents with the
sole exception of the Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”)
formatted Electronic Documents used during the confirmation process
for creating a Registrant profile and the HTML format used for the
Legal Notice and the Privacy Notice on NIRA’s website.
11.18 Copy of Agreement.
The Registrant
acknowledges having downloaded, a copy of this Agreement and the
applicable Registry PRP and the Legal Notice for the Registrant’s
own records.