What is RNIDS and why was it founded?
RNIDS is a foundation established under the Law on Endowments and Foundations, as a legal entity founded to manage the national internet domains. RNIDS is a professional, non-governmental, and non-profit foundation, established on 8 July 2006 by members of the local internet community who responded to a public call to systematically resolve the management of the former .yu domain.
On our website, you can find more information about the history of the development of the national internet domain registry over the past 20 years, as well as the challenges that were resolved through the establishment of RNIDS.
Who delegated the management of the national domains to RNIDS?
The task of administering the national Internet domains (the Latin .RS and the Cyrillic .СРБ) was delegated to RNIDS by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which administers the global system of Internet addresses and numbers and which delegates all the other country and generic Internet domains worldwide.
How is RNIDS financed, does it receive money from the government budget or (foreign) donations and what does not-for-profit mean in the case of RNIDS?
RNIDS does not receive funding from any state budget, nor has it ever received any donations; all revenues are from fees collected for national domain name registrations and annual membership fees paid by its co-founders. Revenues collected as fees for .RS and .СРБ. domain registrations are used by RNIDS exclusively to cover its operational costs, including payment of all tax obligations under applicable regulations. The not-for-profit status of the Foundation means that profits are not distributed to the co-founders – they are used solely in order to pursue the objectives for which the Foundation was established, including ensuring the necessary reserves for the stable operation of the registry, as per the agreement signed with the Ministry.
Who founded RNIDS?
The Agreement on the Founding of RNIDS was signed on 18th December 2006 by 17 companies and organisations who in doing so gained the status of founding member. Membership of RNIDS in the capacity of co-founder is open to all legal entities and sole traders in Serbia, and the organisation today numbers 60 co-founders, including numerous prominent organisations, companies and academic institutions. These include: the University of Belgrade Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, the Svetozar Marković University Library, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Telekom Serbia and the largest Serbian Internet providers and cable operators. A complete list of co-founders is available in the public register maintained by the Business Registers Agency, and on the page Co-founders and authorised representatives.
What is the regulatory framework for Internet domains?
There are no current domestic regulations specifically addressing Internet domains, hence this area comes under the domain of private law. In late 2010, a Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Ministry for Telecommunications and the Information Society and RNIDS. The Agreement does not concern matters of jurisdiction in the management of the national domains, rather it is aimed at promoting collaboration between RNIDS and the responsible ministry in the interests of the stable operation of the Internet in Serbia and of the registry of Internet domains, in accordance with the rules of ICANN. Under the terms of the Agreement, RNIDS has taken on additional obligations in terms of strict adherence to uptime parameters for infrastructural services, provision of financial reserves to ensure stable operation and an obligation to submit a special report on its activities to the ministry responsible for information society issues.
