Isn't WHOIS a "standard protocol" itself?
From SAC051 [1]:
The term "WHOIS" is overloaded, referring to protocols, services, and data types associated with Internet naming and numbering resources, i.e., domain names, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). The ambiguity in terminology further burdens an already challenging set of discussions intended to resolve conflicts related to the evolution of meta-data for Internet naming and numbering. I advise anybody interested in the whois dicussion to read the whole report and also SAC055 [2]. jaap [1] SSAC Report on WHOIS Terminology and Structure (19 September 2011) <http://www.icann.org/en/groups/ssac/documents/sac-051-en.pdf> [2] SSAC Comment on the WHOIS Review Team Final Report (14 September 2012) <http://www.icann.org/en/groups/ssac/documents/sac-055-en.pdf>