Drop Catch Policy

1 About this Policy

• 1.1. This Drop-Catch Policy (hereinafter referred to as “Policy”) prohibits the practice of domain name drop catching by Registrars and domain name drop catching services (hereinafter referred to as “Services”) whereby the Registrar attempts to register domain names immediately upon their release by the Registry into the market.
• 1.2. The Policy further sets out various obligations that a Registrar shall exercise in handling of releasing domain registrations.
• 1.3. Domain must not be acquired in bad faith or for purpose of cybersquatting, impersonation or extortion, etc.

2 Definition

• a. Drop Catching: the practice of registering a domain name the instant it releases in the market and become available after the Registrant at Expiration fails to renew it.
• b. Registrant at Expiration is the registered name holder who is eligible to renew a domain name registration immediately prior to its release in the market.
• c. Registrar: any entity accredited by the Registry under the Registrar Accreditation Agreement and authorized to register domain names.
• d. Registration attempt (hit): a single registration request submitted by a Registrar to register a domain name after its release by Registry.
• e. Registry refer to .IN Registry.

3 Re-registration of Domain

At the conclusion of the registration period, failure by or on behalf of the Registrant at Expiration to consent that the registration be renewed within the time specified, unless specified otherwise, shall result in cancellation of the registration by the end of the Auto-Renew Grace period (although Registrar may choose to cancel the name earlier). This is when a domain enters the drop catch phase.

4 Prohibited Practices

• 4.1. Registrar is prohibited from indulging in any practice of domain drop catching of released domain or deploying automated scripts or systems to attempt registration of released domain name in contravention to clause 4.2 below.
• 4.2. Any Registrar found exceeding the limit making more than 20 (twenty) registration attempts (hits) on the released domain may attract penalty as outlined under clause 6 of this Policy.

5 Logging, Record Retention and Audit

• 5.1. All data, system and application logs relating to drop-catching activities, including successful attempts, failed or rejected requests, access events and any violation or anomalies shall be recorded, securely stored and retained in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
• 5.2. To know more about how Personal Information, data and logs are handled read our Privacy Policy [Privacy Policy and to be hyperlinked accordingly].

6 Violations and enforcement Actions

• 6.1. The Registrars will desist, at all times, from involving themselves, or through their resellers or by using Registrants as proxy, in any way in the squatting, grabbing, hoarding, infringement, auctioning or drop catching .IN domain names at an exceptionally higher price than the published MRP, they are regularly charging from the public.
• 6.2. In case the Registrar exceeds 20 (twenty) hits per domain or engages in unfair, deceptive or manipulative practices, shall face following consequences:
  • 6.2.1. Legal Notice: formal notice detailing the violation and evidence.
  • 6.2.2. Warning: written warning for first/minor violations requiring correction.
  • 6.2.3. Suspension or blacklisting: temporary/permanent suspension from drop-catching and /or blacklisting for repeated/severe breaches.
  • 6.2.4. Monetary Penalties: monetary penalties may be imposed on the erring Registrar in accordance with the Registrar Accreditation Agreement.
• Any action taken against the erring registrar shall be subject to our Privacy Policy [Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy to be hyperlinked accordingly].

7 Changes to the Policy

The Registry may update Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting on this website.