auDA COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHIC NAMES BALLOT
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Applicant means a person who lodges an application with a Participating Registrar to participate in the Ballot.
auDA means .au Domain Administration Ltd ACN 079 009 340.
auDA Published Policies means auDA's published policies that are published on auDA's website at <www.auda.org.au> from time to time.
Ballot means a ballot for the release of a Geographic Name, as described in these Terms.
Business Day means Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in Melbourne, Australia.
Eligibility Criteria means the criteria described in Clause 2.1.
Geographic Names means the geographic domain names in each of com.au and net.au which are the subject of the Ballots conducted in connection with these Terms.
GST has the meaning given under the GST Law.
GST Law means the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (Cth).
Participating Registrar means any domain name registrar which participates in the Ballot process and is listed as a participating registrar on auDA's website.
Personal Information has the meaning given under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Release Fee means $825.00 (including GST).
Release Period means 30 days, starting from the date of the notification under Clause 4.7.
Tax Invoice has the meaning given under the GST Law.
Term has the meaning under Clause 1.4.
Terms means these Terms as amended or varied by auDA from time to time.
The following rules of interpretation apply to these Terms unless the context requires otherwise.
These Terms govern the participation of Applicants in the Ballots. By lodging an application for a Ballot, Applicants agree to be bound by these Terms.
These Terms apply for the duration of the Ballots conducted under Clause 4.
These Terms apply in addition to any other terms or conditions of Participating Registrars. Where any inconsistency exists between these Terms and any other auDA or Participating Registrar terms or conditions, policy or practice relating to the Ballot process, these Terms will prevail to the extent of any such inconsistency. These Terms also prevail over any other terms, conditions or policy of a third party relating to the Ballot process.
If a payment or other act is required under these Terms to be made or done on a day which is not a Business Day, the payment or act must be made or done on the next Business Day.
In order to be eligible to participate in a Ballot, an Applicant must satisfy the eligibility requirements for the Geographic Name that is the subject of the Ballot application, as set out in auDA's Domain Name Eligibility and Allocation Rules for the open 2LDs (auDA Published Policy No. 2002-07).
The Applicant must also continue to satisfy these requirements at all times during which it is licensed to use such a Geographic Name as a domain name.
auDA or a Participating Registrar may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to accept any application for a Ballot where it reasonably considers that the application is not being made in good faith.
Each Applicant warrants to auDA and the relevant Participating Registrar that:
Notwithstanding that an Applicant may meet the Eligibility Criteria, the Applicant must not participate in any Ballot for the purpose of removing any Geographic Name from the availability of others, transferring them for direct or indirect, immediate or deferred gain or profit or for any other reason which can be considered to be in bad faith.
Once an application for a Ballot has been lodged with auDA or a Participating Registrar, Applicants may not cancel, change or otherwise withdraw that application.
auDA or a Participating Registrar may, in their absolute discretion, remove any Applicant from participation in any Ballot, or revoke an Applicant's entitlement to apply for registration of a released Geographic Name as a domain name, where either reasonably considers that the Applicant:
Where the Applicant is the only applicant for a Geographic Name that is the subject of a Ballot, that Geographic Name will be released to that Applicant, provided that the Applicant pays the Release Fee.
Where there is no applicant for a Geographic Name, no Ballot will be conducted in relation to that Geographic Name, and that Geographic Name will be withdrawn from the Ballot process.
Where there is more than one Applicant for a Geographic Name that is the subject of a Ballot, that Geographic Name will be the subject of a random draw between all the applicants for that Ballot, and released to one of the applicants, provided that the successful Applicant pays the Release Fee.
The Ballot will be drawn within 30 days of the closing date of the lodgement period.
All releases following a Ballot are final and binding on Applicants. No Applicant may seek to challenge or enter into correspondence in respect of the results of any Ballot.
If a Geographic Name is released to an Applicant, the relevant Participating Registrar will notify the Applicant, within 14 days of the draw of the Ballot, by sending confirmation to the email or other contact addresses indicated in the Applicant's application form, together with a Tax Invoice requiring payment of the Release Fee.
If a successful Applicant (the Original Successful Applicant) does not pay the Release Fee according to Clause 4.8.1, then:
The Release Fee is non-refundable. auDA and any Participating Registrar will not be required to refund the Release Fee in any circumstances.
Where a successful Applicant fails to apply during the Release Period for registration of a released Geographic Name as a domain name, the Applicant's right to apply for registration of that Geographic Name will lapse automatically at the end of the Release Period.
auDA reserves the right in its absolute discretion to cancel or postpone any Ballot or the entire Ballot process at any time, including without limitation, the withdrawal of any Geographic Name from a Ballot.
Nothing in this Clause is to be read as excluding, restricting or modifying the application of any legislation which by law cannot be excluded, restricted or modified.
Any representation, warranty, condition or undertaking which (but for this Clause) would be implied in these Terms by law, is excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
The liability of auDA or any Participating Registrar for breach of a condition or warranty implied by the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) is, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to be limited at their option to:
Neither auDA or any Participating Registrar is liable to any Applicant in any way for any action, claim, loss, damage, cost or expense (including but not limited to legal costs) arising under or in connection with these Terms in contract, tort, statute or otherwise, whether direct, indirect, consequential, economic or otherwise (including, without limitation, loss of data, loss of profit, loss or corruption of data, business interruption or indirect costs) suffered by any Applicant as a result of any act or omission whatsoever of auDA or the Participating Registrar (including negligence), its employees, agents or sub-contractors, including but not limited to cancellation, postponement or any other changes to a particular Ballot or the entire Ballot process.
Each Applicant agrees to release, hold harmless and indemnify auDA and Participating Registrars to the maximum extent permitted by law from and against all liability whatsoever (including, without limitation, from negligence) in connection with these Terms.
By lodging an application for a Geographic Name, Applicants acknowledge and agree that:
These Terms contain the entire understanding between auDA and Applicants for all Ballots and supersedes all prior agreements, representations, explanations, commitments and understandings, express or implied.
The rights and obligations of Applicants under these Terms are personal. They cannot be assigned, encumbered or otherwise dealt with and no Applicant may attempt, or purport to do so.
The Participating Registrars are entitled to act as agents of auDA solely in respect of the receipt of applications for Ballots from Applicants, notification of releases to successful Applicants and the payment of the Release Fees. auDA is not responsible for any acts or omissions of any Participating Registrar under or in connection with these Terms.
Unless expressly permitted by these Terms, no
third party (including Participating Registrars) will be entitled to act as a
representative or agent of auDA in respect of any aspect of the Ballots. auDA will
not be bound by any third party which makes any representations (written or
otherwise) whatsoever in respect of any matter arising from, or in connection
with, these Terms or the Ballot process.
Applicants must at all times during their participation in any Ballot, promptly comply with all reasonable directions and requests from auDA in connection with the Ballot process or these Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria. Each party submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of courts exercising jurisdiction there in connection with all matters concerning these Terms.
No failure to exercise nor any delay in exercising any right, power or remedy by a party operates as a waiver. A single or partial exercise of any right, power or remedy does not preclude any other or further exercise of that or any other right, power or remedy. A waiver is not valid or binding on the party granting that waiver unless made in writing.
Any provision of these Terms which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction is ineffective as to that jurisdiction to the extent of the prohibition or unenforceability. That does not invalidate the remaining provisions of these Terms nor affect the validity or enforceability of that provision in any other jurisdiction.