Verisign has dropped its plan to delete two kinds of existing .name registrations: third-level domains in the form firstname.lastname.name and email addresses in the form [email protected] that forward to another mailbox. In a letter dated November 5, Verisign notified ICANN that it will keep supporting existing registrations of both services for as long as at least one ICANN-accredited registrar offers them at retail. On November 9, ICANN acknowledged the change and marked as void the July letters that had cleared the shutdown.

Verisign still plans to end new registrations of both services. ICANN’s July letter on the third-level service cites Verisign’s figure for third-level registrations: about 22,000.

Key facts

  • The requests: Verisign filed RSEP 2026013 for third-level names and RSEP 2026014 for email forwarding on April 15. ICANN now lists both as withdrawn.
  • The notice: on August 15, Verisign gave registrars 180 days’ notice that both services would end for new and existing users.
  • Next step: Verisign will submit updated requests that still seek to discontinue the services for new registrations. ICANN will evaluate them under its Registry Services Evaluation Policy.
  • The appeals: by October 28, ICANN had consolidated nine reconsideration requests against the approvals for joint review, first by a Board committee and then by the full Board.

Withdrawn Requests and Voided Letters

The November 5 letter, signed by Patrick S. Kane, Verisign’s senior vice president for naming and directory services, reverses the plan for existing users. Verisign will continue to support all EPP transactions for existing registrations in both services, as long as at least one registrar offers them. EPP is the protocol registrars use to register, renew, update and transfer names at the registry.

ICANN replied in a letter from Amanda Fessenden, its vice president for GDD accounts and services. ICANN acknowledged the withdrawal of both requests, updated them to a “withdrawn” status and noted its “Free to Discontinue” letters of July 28 as voided. Both letters refer to the ongoing renewal of the .name Registry Agreement. According to Verisign, it filed the original requests to help move .name to ICANN’s 2024 Base Registry Agreement, which would align it more closely with other top-level domains.

Verisign Will Delete 22,000 .name Domains That Are Paid For. Two Registrants Are Fighting It.

Nine Reconsideration Requests Against the Approvals

The approvals had been challenged through ICANN’s reconsideration process. By October 28, ICANN had consolidated nine requests, numbers 26-2, 26-5, 26-6, 26-7 and 26-9 through 26-13, for joint consideration, first by the Board Accountability Mechanisms Committee and then by the Board. Before the consolidation, the committee had recommended in August that the Board deny Request 26-2, the first of the nine. As of November 11, the request pages show no later recommendation and no Board decision on the consolidated requests.

Neil Fraser, who filed Request 26-6 and runs his website at neil.fraser.name, posted the news on November 10 under the headline “.name Grandfathered.” His post opens with “We won!” and thanks by name the people who filed reconsideration requests and letters of support, along with his lawyers.

Existing Names Now Depend on Registrars

The letter names no registrar that will keep offering the services. Verisign believes several registrars plan to, and it intends to work with them and others to help ensure that at least one does.

For hosting companies and registrars with customers using these services, the plan to delete existing registrations, set out in Verisign’s August notice to registrars, is no longer going ahead. Those customers can keep their domains and forwarding addresses, provided at least one ICANN-accredited registrar continues to offer the services.