ICANN has issued a formal breach notice to IPIP Inc. after finding problems with the registrar’s RDAP service, data escrow deposits and accreditation fees. IPIP has until 26 August 2026 to put the issues right.
Ech’s short answer
ICANN says the registrar’s RDAP service was not working, required registration data had not been deposited on schedule and accreditation fees were overdue. If IPIP does not resolve the breaches by 26 August, ICANN may begin the accreditation termination process.
The notice, dated 5 August, concerns IPIP Inc., an ICANN-accredited registrar with IANA number 3774. It follows several compliance contacts earlier in 2026 that ICANN says did not produce enough evidence that the registrar had met its obligations.
A breach notice is a formal enforcement step, but it is not an immediate termination. IPIP remains in a cure period while ICANN waits for the required fixes and supporting information.
The enforcement action covers registration data access, data escrow and unpaid accreditation fees.
ICANN says IPIP failed to provide a working Registration Data Access Protocol service for the active generic top-level domain names it sponsors. The service was also expected to use ICANN’s current technical implementation guide and response profile.
The notice also says IPIP did not make its required data escrow deposits on time and owed past-due accreditation fees. A separate noncompliance finding concerned the absence of a clear homepage link explaining how to request disclosure of non-public registration data.
RDAP is the current system used to retrieve domain registration data.
IPIP had registered an RDAP base address with IANA, but ICANN says the service was not functioning. According to the notice, all of the domain queries it tested failed to return registration data for names sponsored by the registrar.
ICANN has asked IPIP to show that its service offers free public query access to current registration data and uses the February 2024 version of the required RDAP profile. The registrar must also provide a sponsored domain that ICANN can use for monitoring.
Registrars are expected to operate an RDAP service that responds consistently and follows ICANN’s published technical profile.
ICANN-accredited registrars must deposit gTLD registration records with an approved escrow provider on a set schedule.
The deposits are intended to preserve the information needed to protect and recover registrations if a registrar closes, loses its accreditation or cannot continue operating. ICANN says IPIP did not deposit the required data under the agreed schedule and terms.
The cure notice requires IPIP to resume weekly deposits with an approved data escrow agent and make sure the files meet the current specification. ICANN also wants all overdue accreditation fees paid.
The notice says incomplete escrow records could leave customers without a recovery route if the registrar failed or its accreditation ended. It does not announce that IPIP has failed or that customer domains are being transferred now.
The notice raises additional concerns about customer information, abuse reporting and company contacts.
IPIP must provide ICANN with links showing where this information is published. It must also explain what steps it will take to respond fully and on time to future contractual compliance requests.
IPIP must cure the breaches and give ICANN the requested evidence within 21 days of the notice.
If IPIP does not meet the deadline, ICANN may start the process of terminating its registrar accreditation. That would be a further enforcement step rather than an automatic result on 26 August.
ICANN’s compliance notices page is the best place to check whether the breaches are cured, the deadline is extended or the case moves to another stage.
Bottom line
ICANN has given the registrar a clear list of fixes and a 26 August deadline. The next update will show whether IPIP has cured the breaches or whether enforcement moves towards termination.
