Domain Registration Agreement

Effective Date: November 4, 2025

This Agreement is written in Atom’s plain-English style. It contains all ICANN-required provisions plus additional terms that protect both you (the customer) and Atom (the registrar). By creating or controlling an Atom account, or by registering, renewing, transferring, or using any Atom domain service, you agree to these terms and to Atom’s general Terms & Conditions and applicable registry/ICANN policies.

1. Who this applies to (Scope)

This Agreement applies to anyone who creates or controls an Atom account or uses Atom’s services (including domain registration, renewal, transfer, DNS, API or related tools), whether or not a domain action occurs.

2. Your contact information (Accuracy & Updates)

You agree to keep the following info true, accurate, and current and to update it within 7 days of any change:

Registrant full name (and organization + authorized contact if applicable)
Postal address
Email address
Any contact fields required by the applicable registry/ICANN (e.g., admin/tech contacts where still used)
Nameservers for the domain (primary and secondary) if you set them

If we ask you to confirm accuracy, you must respond within 15 days. Failure to provide accurate data, to update within 7 days, or to respond within 15 days may be a material breach and may lead to suspension or cancellation of the domain. If we suspend or cancel for inaccurate data, we will do so after notice and an opportunity to respond consistent with ICANN policy.

3. Using a domain for someone else / resale (Pass-through)

You remain the Registrant and are responsible for the domain.
You must ensure the third party accepts this Agreement in writing.
You must pass along privacy notices/consents required for any personal data you give us about them.
You represent that your registration and use do not infringe others’ legal rights. You are not an ICANN-accredited registrar and not an authorized reseller of Atom’s services unless we agree in writing.
When you resell or facilitate a registration for a third party, you must inform them that Atom is the ICANN-accredited registrar of record for the domain.

4. Lawful use only

You agree not to use domains for unlawful or harmful activity. Prohibited uses include spam/UBE, malware, phishing, botnets, DDoS, child exploitation, IP infringement, or hosting illegal/abusive content. See also Section 17 (Abuse & Enforcement). If you collect or process sensitive health or financial data on services connected to your domain, you must comply with all applicable sector laws and security requirements.

5. Data and privacy

ICANN requires us to collect and share certain personal data (e.g., name, address, email) with the Registry Operator and ICANN. We’ll tell you what’s mandatory, who receives it, and how to correct it. By using our services, you consent to this processing. We protect data with reasonable security measures. See our Privacy Policy for details.

6. WHOIS/RDAP publication

We publish required registration data through RDAP/WHOIS promptly (typically within 24 hours of your changes), subject to ICANN/registry rules and applicable law.

7. Security & account responsibility

You authorize Atom to process actions initiated through your account and you’re responsible for all account activity, including if caused by unauthorized parties using your credentials.
Tell us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access or a security breach.
You agree to cooperate with reasonable security checks (e.g., MFA challenges, verification questions).
We may deactivate inactive accounts in our discretion.

8. Fees, payments, refunds

Domain prices (registration, renewal, transfer, redemption) are posted on our site and may vary by TLD and term (see the Pricing page).

We may specify accepted currencies and payment methods. You authorize us to charge your saved payment method for due fees.
Prepaid/account credits are non-refundable unless required by law.
Returned, chargeback, or failed payments may incur third-party processing costs and a reasonable administrative fee per incident.
Except where required by law, domain registrations, renewals, transfers, and restorations are non-refundable.
Administrative / reinstatement fees: We may charge reasonable administrative or reinstatement fees for tasks outside normal scope (e.g., resolving chargebacks, extraordinary support, or reinstating suspended services), and any applicable third-party processing costs.
Nonpayment remedies: If we cannot collect amounts due, we may suspend or cancel services and restrict account access until payment is received.
Promotions: Certain promotional or discounted transfers/registrations may require renewal at Atom before expiration to remain eligible for future promotions. We may restrict future promo eligibility if those conditions are not met.

9. Renewal reminders & auto-renew

We email renewal reminders approximately 30 days and 7 days before expiration, and once within 5 days after expiration (subject to deliverability).
If you enable auto-renew but the payment fails, auto-renew won’t occur.
Renewal and redemption transactions are final unless required by law.

10. Expiration & post-expiration lifecycle (subject to registry rules)

After expiration, your domain may stop resolving, and nameservers may change to Atom’s defaults (such as parked DNS).

Expired domains generally pass through a renewal grace period followed by a redemption period if not renewed.

Exact timelines vary by TLD and registry and may change without notice.

During these post-expiration phases, transfers may be restricted in certain windows (see below).

A Restoration Fee applies to recover domains in redemption; restoration transactions are final.

Atom may park, auction, or reassign expired domains consistent with ICANN and registry requirements.

Transfers are generally not permitted during the final part of the grace period or while in redemption, and may be temporarily restricted after a restore, depending on registry policy.

Verisign .COM/.NET 45-day rule: if a domain is auto-renewed on expiration and then transferred within 45 days, the registry may remove the added year (“lost year”). This is a registry policy and outside Atom’s control.

Pending Deletion: After redemption, a domain typically enters Pending Deletion status at the registry before being released for new registration.

11. Transfers (between registrars & registrants)

You can transfer out/in using the Authorization Code (AuthInfo/TAC) and other ICANN/registry steps.
Designated Agent: You appoint Atom as your Designated Agent to approve ICANN Change of Registrant requests and, where offered, to opt out of the 60-day lock at the time of the change.
No contact changes during transfer: If you are the transferor registrant, do not change account contact data until the transfer completes.
60-day limits: Domains can’t be transferred to another registrar for 60 days after initial registration or a completed transfer, and typically 60 days after a restore. A 60-day lock after Change of Registrant may apply unless you opt out at the time of the change (if available).

When we may deny a transfer (non-exhaustive, where allowed by ICANN/registry rules):

Court order or legal dispute over the name/registrant identity
Evidence of fraud or non-payment/chargeback
Registry policy forbids the transfer (e.g., TLD-specific lock)
The name is in lock/hold status or recently restored
The request occurs in restricted lifecycle windows (see Section 10)
Expiration date after transfer: The resulting term/expiry is determined by registry/losing registrar policy; we disclaim any warranty about the exact post-transfer expiration date.
Registrar Lock: We may place a registrar lock on domains by default to prevent unauthorized transfers. You can unlock a domain in your account settings. Only the registrant or administrative contact (as applicable by ICANN/registry rules) may approve or deny a transfer request.
Transfers near expiry: If you initiate a transfer close to the end of a registration term, the transfer may fail or require resubmission if the name expires during processing. You assume the risk of delays in that scenario.
Marketplace Acquisitions. If you acquire a domain via the Atom marketplace, you authorize Atom to complete a registrar-to-registrar transfer of the domain to Atom and to perform any required contact updates. Marketplace Terms of Sale govern those steps and are incorporated by reference.

12. Disputes (UDRP/URS & courts)

By registering a domain, you agree to the UDRP and, where applicable, the URS. For court disputes, you submit to the jurisdiction of your domicile and Illinois, USA (e.g., Cook County courts), as required by ICANN policy and applicable law.

13. Default parking

Newly registered or expired domains may resolve to Atom’s parked page until you set nameservers.
Parked pages may include third-party links/ads. Atom does not control or endorse third-party content and isn’t responsible for it.
Some free or parked services may include third-party advertising or links.
To remove the parked page, set your own nameservers (or hosting/DNS) in your account.

14. Grace delete for new registrations (if offered)

We may, at our discretion and where the registry allows, accept a grace delete request for a brand-new registration within 5 days of creation. Fees/limits may apply, some TLDs disallow grace deletes, and requests may be denied (e.g., to avoid excess registry deletion fees or for abuse). Any credit/refund is net of our costs.

15. Optional services (API) — if you use them

No reverse engineering, reproduction, resale, or use to create a competing service.
Don’t exceed rate limits or degrade service.
Follow all laws (including export controls).
Atom retains all IP rights in the API and docs. Your access is a limited, revocable license.

16. Registry / TLD-specific terms (premium pricing, security, registry rights)

Registry terms govern where required. You agree to any additional TLD rules posted by the applicable registry/operator.
Some TLDs use premium or variable pricing (including renewals). We display pricing where possible, but registry pricing can change.
Registries may scan for security threats (phishing, malware, botnets) and may lock/suspend/transfer/delete domains to protect stability, comply with law, correct mistakes, or enforce policy.
In some ccTLDs, services may be delivered via an affiliate/local registrar of record as required by the local registry.
Registry indemnification (ICANN-required): You agree to indemnify the applicable Registry Operator and its affiliates from claims related to your domain’s registration/use.

17. Abuse reporting & enforcement

We provide a dedicated abuse contact (email/phone) on our website. We review reports promptly.
We may suspend or cancel a domain without prior notice for severe abuse; for most cases, we will notify you (we may suspend during investigation).
If we reasonably believe your domain poses imminent harm (e.g., malware, phishing, child exploitation, DDoS), we may act first and notify you afterward.
We may also take action (including suspension or lock) to comply with law, court or regulatory orders, to correct errors, or to avoid potential civil or criminal liability.

18. Customer support

Our support team can help with domain management, billing, DNS, and more. See our website for hours and channels (chat/email). We also publish guides and FAQs. We can’t guarantee outcomes outside our control (e.g., registry or ICANN policy limits).

19. Limitations of liability

ATOM PROVIDES DOMAIN SERVICES “AS IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ATOM’S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO ATOM FOR DOMAIN SERVICES IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR LOST PROFITS/DATA DAMAGES.

20. Term and termination

This Agreement remains in effect while you have an Atom account or domains with Atom. We may suspend or cancel services if you violate this Agreement or as required by ICANN, registry policy, or law. You may end services by transferring domains away or letting them expire.

21. Governing law & venue

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, USA (without regard to conflicts rules). You agree to resolve disputes in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois, in addition to ICANN-required jurisdictions (see Section 12).

Jury trial waiver: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BOTH PARTIES WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN ANY ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT.

22. Bulk/Partial Bulk Transfers

If Atom sells or acquires a registrar portfolio, your domains may be transferred in bulk to another accredited registrar or to Atom as allowed by ICANN policy. Your existing domain terms will continue with the new registrar subject to their posted registration agreement. You authorize Atom to transfer your domains as part of such a bulk or partial bulk transfer.

23. General provisions

Legal capacity: You represent you are of legal age and have authority to enter this Agreement for yourself or your organization.
Notices: We may send required notices to the registrant email in RDDS/WHOIS/RDAP and/or to the account email on file. Notices are deemed given when sent.
This Agreement, together with Atom’s Terms & Conditions and applicable ICANN/registry policies, is the entire agreement. If any part is unenforceable, the rest remains valid. Our failure to enforce a provision isn’t a waiver. We may update this Agreement; continued use means you accept the current version.