[http://www.icann.org/images/gradlogo_bow.jpg]<http://www.icann.org/> News Alert http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-05mar14-en.htm ________________________________ ICANN News Alert -- Bulk Transfer of Domain Names from Asadal, Inc. to Gabia, Inc. 5 March 2014 ICANN has authorized the bulk transfer of gTLD domain names from Asadal, Inc. to Gabia, Inc. due to compliance actions taken by ICANN that resulted in the de-accreditation of Asadal, Inc. The affected gTLD registries have processed the bulk transfers. Former registrant-customers of Asadal, Inc. should receive notices from Gabia, Inc. advising of the transfer. Customer questions about the transfer should be directed to Gabia, Inc. (for contact details see http://www.internic.net/registrars/registrar-244.html or visit their website directly here: https://www.gabia.com/). Additional information about these bulk transfers is provided below. FAQs Q. Why were these transfers authorized by ICANN? A. The Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) of Asadal, Inc. was terminated, effective 1 March 2014. As a result, Asadal, Inc. is no longer permitted to register or manage gTLD registrations. ICANN authorized bulk transfers pursuant to the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy to ensure that the registrant-customers of this registrar would not be harmed by their registrar's discontinued ability to manage the registrations. Q. How was the gaining registrar selected? A. ICANN followed its De-Accredited Registrar Transition Procedure (see http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registrars/drt/dartp-11jul13-en.pdf [PDF, 129 KB]) to identify a gaining registrar for the gTLD names formerly managed by the de-accredited registrar. Through this process, Gabia, Inc. was identified. Q. Will Gabia, Inc. attempt to contact the affected registrants? What should customers of this de-accredited registrar do now? A. Former customers of Asadal, Inc. should receive a notice of the transfer and instructions for continued management of their names from Gabia, Inc. Affected customers who do not receive notices from Gabia, Inc. should contact Gabia, Inc. by using the contact information provided at see http://www.internic.net/registrars/registrar-244.html. Q. Do registrants have to pay a fee for the bulk transfer? A. No, there is no cost to registrants for the bulk transfer. Unlike a normal inter-registrar transfer, the registration terms will not be extended by a year. Accordingly, it is important to contact Gabia, Inc. if your registration will expire soon in order to maintain your registration. Q. What if affected registrants want to select a different registrar? A. Registrants will continue to be able to transfer their registrations to other registrars under the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (see http://www.icann.org/en/transfers/<https://www.icann.org/en/transfers/>). Note that Gabia, Inc. may deny transfers for the first 60 days following the bulk transfer, at its discretion. This 60-day period is permissible under the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy and is intended to help protect registrants. The registrant may need to renew names that will expire during the first 60 days following the transfer to Gabia, Inc. by using the details provided above. Q. How will Asadal, Inc. customers know if a message purportedly from Gabia, Inc. is legitimate? A. The message from Gabia, Inc. should direct you to its website or refer you to other contact information provided above. For general advice about avoiding phishing email messages, you may also wish to refer to the materials prepared by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (see http://www.antiphishing.org/resources/overview/avoid-phishing-scams).