Important Changes To Domain Ownership Rules in 2025

If you own a domain name—or you're planning to register one for your business—some important changes to domain registration rules came into effect starting May 28, 2025. These changes were introduced by ICANN (the international body that governs domain name policies),and they directly affect who is legally considered the owner of your domain.

At SilverServers, we help small businesses manage their domain names simply and securely. So here’s what changed, why it matters, and what actions you might need to take now.

New Rule: The “Organization” Field in Your Domain Info Now Determines Ownership

When you register a domain (like yourbusiness.ca or mywebsite.com),your name and contact details are added to the domain registration record. In this record, there’s a field for your name—and another one for your organization. This Organization field has traditionally been optional and not particularly important.

That’s no longer the case.

As of May 28, 2025, ICANN’s new Registration Data Policy treats that “Organization” field as a legally significant detail.

• If the Organization field is filled out, the domain is now legally owned by that organization—not you personally.
• If it’s left blank, the domain is legally owned by the individual whose name appears in the record.

Why This Matters to You

Ownership of a domain isn't just about paperwork—it’s about control. Your domain powers your website, your email, and your entire online identity. If a dispute arises (internally, legally, or otherwise),the person or entity listed as the legal owner is the one who gets to make decisions about it.

So this change could be helpful—or problematic—depending on how your business is structured.

For example:

• If you run a business with staff or partners, listing the organization as the owner might make sense.
• If you're a sole proprietor or want to retain personal control, you may want to make sure you own the domain as an individual.

SilverServers Domain Services

What You Should Do Right Now

Since May 28, many domain owners have already started receiving emails from registrars like OpenSRS (our domain provider partner) explaining the change. If you haven’t reviewed your domain registration yet, here’s what we recommend:

1. Check your domain registration details.

If you registered your domain through SilverServers, we can help you with this. We’ll check whether your Organization field is filled in and confirm who the legal owner is based on the current record.

2. Decide who should be listed as the legal domain owner.

• Want personal control? You may wish to remove the organization name.
• Prefer the business to own the domain? Make sure the Organization field is accurate and reflects your company’s legal name.

Heads up: Any changes to this field now count as a domain ownership transfer. That means you’ll receive a confirmation email and need to approve the change for it to take effect. It’s part of a new security step to protect domain owners.

3. Talk to us if you’re unsure.

We’re happy to walk you through your domain info, help you make changes safely, and make sure everything is set up the way you want.

Other Domain Data Changes You Should Know About

In addition to the ownership rule, ICANN’s updated policy includes a few other behind-the-scenes changes you may want to be aware of:

Less contact data collected

Domain registrars (like OpenSRS) will now only collect a minimal set of information. Administrative, billing, and technical contact fields are no longer required or stored—only your registrant contact info is needed by default.

Some data will be deleted

If your domain previously had data in those no-longer-used fields (admin contact, fax, etc.),it will be permanently removed from registrar systems after August 21, 2025. If we manage your domain and you need any of that information for recordkeeping, let us know and we can help you retrieve it before it’s gone. Otherwise, check with your domain management company, and make a record yourself.

Some domain types now require email verification

Certain country-specific domains (like .fr, .de, .es, and others) now require that you verify your email address when registering or updating your domain. If this applies to you, you’ll receive a separate notice to confirm your email.

The Bottom Line: Make Sure Your Domain Is Set Up the Way You Want It

These changes are part of a larger global effort—led by ICANN—to improve privacy, security, and accuracy in domain name management. But they also raise the stakes for making sure your domain is registered to the right person or entity.

If you haven’t looked at your domain records in a while, now is the time.

At SilverServers, we’re here to take care of the technical details and make sure your online presence is protected. If you’re not sure whether you need to take action—or if you just want peace of mind—reach out to us and we’ll help you check everything over.

Need Help?

We can:

• Check who your domain is currently registered to
• Explain the pros and cons of listing an organization vs. an individual
• Make ownership updates safely
• Help with email verification or registrar change approvals

This is your business’s digital foundation—let’s make sure it’s rock solid.

Contact us if you have any questions. For related articles, visit the domain names and registration section of our blog