Handle System Registration



Home > Resolution Service Providers > Handle System Registration

Handle System Registration — Step 1

Please provide the following information about yourself in order for CNRI to register your request to become an RSP and receive your prefix. Please note: by providing the required registration information below, you will be authorizing CNRI to establish a Handle System Service Account and you affirm that you have the authority to open this account and accept the terms and conditions of the Handle System Service Agreement.

(Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.)

* Name:
* Organization Name:
* Mailing Address:
* Email Address:
* Phone Number:
Fax Number:



* User Community:	GRID DSpace Other


* Do you already have a prefix that was issued for Handle System software downloaded under a previous CNRI License Agreement?
YES NO


* Annual Service Fee Payment (with Multi-year Prepayment Options) I choose to pay the Annual Service Fee for:

1 Year ($50)
OR I choose to prepay the Annual Service Fee for:

5 Years ($250) 10 Years ($425)

HANDLE SYSTEM SERVICE AGREEMENT (Ver. 3)

This HANDLE SYSTEM® SERVICE AGREEMENT (Ver. 3) ("Service Agreement")
is between Corporation for National Research Initiatives ("CNRI"),
having an office at 1895 Preston White Drive, Reston, VA 20191-5434,
and the Individual or Organization that has entered into the HANDLE
SYSTEM PUBLIC LICENSE AGREEMENT ("HSPL") and registered with CNRI as
a Resolution Service Provider ("RSP") (known collectively as the
"Parties"). This Service Agreement is effective as of the date of
signature by RSP as provided herein (the "Effective Date") and is
subject to the terms and conditions of the HSPL entered into and
maintained in effect between the Parties.

1. Prefix(es). CNRI hereby authorizes RSP to provide identifier and/or
resolution services only with respect to identifiers that start with
the prefix or prefixes allotted to RSP by CNRI, subject to the terms
of this Service Agreement. It is agreed by the Parties that any prefix
allotted to RSP hereunder may not be used to disrupt the integrity or
operation of the Handle System in any manner. All identifiers created
with each RSP prefix shall be resolvable by RSP's resolution service.
The CNRI Handle System Administrator will notify RSP of the prefix or
prefixes allotted to RSP and register each such prefix in the Global
Handle Registry® ("GHR"). This notification will be sent by
electronic mail to the Administrator designated by RSP for each prefix.

RSP acknowledges and agrees that the authority granted to RSP to use the
prefix(es) allotted to it by CNRI hereunder, is personal to RSP and that
this authority may not be assigned or transferred by RSP to any other
party without the prior written consent of CNRI. Without limiting the
generality of the preceding sentence, RSP further acknowledges that the
allotment of a prefix to RSP by CNRI, as provided herein, confers no
property, ownership or proprietary rights on RSP with respect to such
prefix.

Other than the information provided by the GHR in ordinary resolution
requests, the collection of administrative data associated with each
prefix is considered confidential by CNRI and will not be released in
any form unless ordered by a court or governmental agency of competent
jurisdiction, or unless otherwise agreed to in writing signed by the
Parties. Administrative data, other than RSP's account information,
that have been received by CNRI from RSP and are required to maintain
the overall integrity of the GHR shall be retained in the GHR.

2. Policies & Procedures. RSP hereby agrees that the use of the Handle
System technology, including the running of HANDLE.NET® software, and
any RSP deposit data, administrative data, or prefix data that have been
entered into the Global Handle Registry shall be subject to the Handle
System Policies & Procedures ("Policies") that are posted at
http://hdl.handle.net/4263537/5012 as of the Effective Date and are
incorporated herein by reference. RSP agrees to make reasonable good
faith efforts to provide identifier and/or resolution services in
accordance with the Policies.

The Policies may, from time to time, be modified by CNRI, including as
a result of consultation with interested bodies, including the Handle
System Advisory Committee. Any such modifications to the Policies
made and posted at http://www.handle.net/ during a given Term shall
become effective for Licensee on the next following renewal date of
the Service Agreement, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the
Parties.

In the event RSP is unable or no longer intends to provide identifier
and/or resolution services for identifiers starting with the prefix
or prefixes allotted to RSP by CNRI, RSP shall promptly notify CNRI
and shall take steps to find an appropriate alternate party to provide
such identifier and/or resolution services and notify the Handle System
Administrator of the alternate party. If CNRI, in its sole discretion,
consents to the alternate party, then once the alternate party is
authorized by CNRI to use the Handle System technology and enters into
a Service Agreement with CNRI to act as a RSP, the relevant set of
records shall be transferred by RSP to that alternate party for such
identifier and/or resolution purposes. Unless otherwise agreed to in
writing between CNRI and RSP, if no alternate party is designated by
RSP, RSP agrees that CNRI, at its sole discretion, may elect to
provide such services itself, or through another party, or may
record and/or otherwise make known that the relevant identifiers, if
any, are no longer resolvable.

3. Fees. In consideration for the Handle System services provided
by CNRI under this Service Agreement, RSP will pay the following fees
to the Handle System Administrator:

-o- For a single allotted prefix, a one-time registration fee of
$50 ("Registration Fee"), plus an annual service fee of $50 ("Annual
Service Fee"). For prefixes derived from the single allotted prefix,
the Registration Fee shall be waived if the RSP remains the same;
however, the Annual Service Fee shall apply for each derived prefix.

-o- For each additional consecutive twelve-month period after
the first year, there is no Registration Fee, only the Annual Service
Fee. The amount of the Annual Service Fee may be reasonably adjusted
by CNRI from time to time.

-o- In addition to the one-time Registration Fee of $50, 
the RSP may choose from one of two prepayment options for the 
Annual Service Fee.  Five years of $50 per year service fees may be 
prepaid for a total of $250, and ten years may be prepaid at a 
discounted fee of $425.

-o- CNRI reserves the right to waive the Registration Fee and/or
Annual Service Fee on a case-by-case basis at its sole discretion. A
request for waiver shall include the reasons for such request and
shall be made in writing addressed to the Handle System Administrator
at hdladmin@cnri.reston.va.us.

4. Technical Support. CNRI personnel will provide RSP via electronic
mail with occasional consultation on routine technical matters during
CNRI's normal business hours during the Term of this Service Agreement,
and RSP will inform CNRI of the RSP technical point of contact for
this purpose. At its sole discretion, CNRI may provide additional
technical assistance to RSP under a separately negotiated Technical
Support Agreement.

5. GHR Services. In accordance with the terms of this Service
Agreement, CNRI shall make reasonable efforts to provide RSP with
reliable Global Handle Registry services on a 24-hour, 7-day a week
basis and to maintain the overall operational integrity of the
Handle System. It is understood and agreed, however, that, unless
otherwise agreed in writing by the Parties, CNRI does not guarantee
any specific level of GHR availability and performance.

Without limiting the preceding sentence, CNRI shall not be liable for
any GHR availability or performance failures or delays in the
performance of any of its obligations hereunder due to causes beyond
its reasonable control (force majeure condition), including, but not
limited to, fire, strike, war, riots, terrorism, judicial action,
shortages of labor, materials or equipment, failures or delays in
delivery by CNRI's vendors or suppliers. If, despite the reasonable
efforts of CNRI and RSP, the force majeure condition persists beyond
sixty (60) days, either CNRI or RSP may send a written notice to the
other terminating this Service Agreement.

6. Disclaimer. CNRI IS MAKING THE HANDLE SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICES
AVAILABLE TO RSP HEREUNDER ON AN "AS IS" BASIS. CNRI EXPRESSLY
DISCLAIMS AND EXCLUDES ALL WARRANTIES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION
MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE OR USE) AND REPRESENTATIONS, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN
RELATION TO RSP'S USE OF THE HANDLE SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING
SOFTWARE, INFORMATION, AND PREFIX(ES), OR IN RELATION TO CNRI'S
PERFORMANCE OF ANY SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH THE HANDLE
SYSTEM.

7. Limitation of Liabilities. CNRI WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO RSP OR TO ANY
THIRD PARTY (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION USERS OF RSP IDENTIFIER AND/OR
RESOLUTION SERVICES), FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTER
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES, LOSS OF USER DATA OR PROFITS, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION,
HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT
(INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO NEGLIGENCE AND INFRINGEMENT OR
MISAPPROPRIATION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS), PRODUCT LIABILITY
OR OTHERWISE, BASED ON OR ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF
THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, EVEN
IF CNRI IS ADVISED OR IS OTHERWISE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES. RSP AGREES THAT THE ENTIRE LIABILITY OF CNRI WILL IN NO
EVENT EXCEED AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE FEE PAID BY RSP UNDER THIS
SERVICE AGREEMENT.

8. Indemnification. RSP shall indemnify, defend, and hold CNRI harmless
for and against all claims for personal injury, property damage, loss of
profits, loss of use, or any indirect, consequential, punitive or
special damages, whether based upon a claim or action in contract,
warranty, negligence, or other tort, based on or arising out of or
relating to RSP's provision of services pursuant to this Service
Agreement.

9. Term & Termination. The term of this Service Agreement shall be for
an initial one (1) year period which shall begin on the Effective Date
of this Service Agreement ("Term"), and the Term shall automatically be
extended for successive periods of one (1) year each, unless (a) either
Party provides written notice to the other Party at least ninety (90)
days prior to the renewal date that the Service Agreement shall not be
renewed, (b) otherwise agreed in writing, or (c) terminated by CNRI, at
its sole discretion, upon a material breach of this Service Agreement by
RSP. Parties that wish to have the Service Agreement extended for longer
periods may request extensions for successive periods of up to five (5)
years each and, if approved, the service fees shall be adjusted
accordingly. Following termination of the Service Agreement, the records
and other data associated with RSP prefix or prefixes may be maintained
by CNRI in the GHR, at CNRI's sole discretion, at no fee to RSP.
Further, it is understood and agreed that, following termination of
the Service Agreement, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the
Parties, CNRI is under no obligation to provide Global Handle Registry
services for prefix(es) previously allotted to RSP, and, at its sole
discretion, CNRI may re-allot any or all of such prefix(es) to another
party, who may thereafter use the same to provide identifier and/or
resolution services.

10. Trademarks. Handle System, Global Handle Registry, Handle.net and
CNRI are registered trademarks of CNRI, and CNRI may have or adopt
other marks related to the Handle System technology and services
described herein ("CNRI Trademarks"). The CNRI Trademarks may not
be used to endorse or promote any software, services or products of
Licensee, or any third party, except with prior written approval of
CNRI, which it may grant or deny at its sole discretion. Inquiries
concerning use of CNRI's Trademarks should be addressed to the
Handle System Administrator at hdladmin@cnri.reston.va.us.

11. Miscellaneous provisions.

a. This Service Agreement is transferable by CNRI provided that
CNRI transfers and assigns all rights necessary to allow the transferee
to fully perform CNRI's obligations hereunder, and that the transfer is
to an organization that has agreed to operate the Handle System in the
public interest. This Service Agreement is personal to RSP and, without
prior written consent from CNRI, which consent may be granted or
withheld in CNRI's sole discretion, shall not be assigned by any act of
RSP, including without limitation, sale, merger, or other transfer of
assets by RSP, bankruptcy, or by operation of law. Any purported
transfer or assignment without CNRI's prior written consent shall be
deemed a material breach of this Service Agreement.

b. In the event that RSP breaches this Service Agreement, CNRI and
RSP agree that damages will not provide an adequate remedy for CNRI.
Therefore, in the event of a breach or threat of breach, RSP
acknowledges that CNRI shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief,
in addition to any other relief available at law or equity.

c. To the extent Federal law is not applicable, this Service
Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in all respects by the
law of the Commonwealth of Virginia, excluding Virginia conflict of law
provisions, and the courts within such State shall be the only courts
of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this Service Agreement shall be
deemed to create any relationship of agency, partnership, or joint
venture between the Parties.

HANDLE SYSTEM POLICIES & PROCEDURES

(as of September 21, 2005)

a. Overview

The Handle System® is a component of the Digital Object Architecture
developed by CNRI. It provides a means for uniquely identifying Digital
Objects ("DOs") and other network resources, and for using the
identifiers to store and retrieve records containing state information
about the DOs. It also provides an administrative mechanism for managing
identifiers over time.

The term Digital Object is used to denote structured data in the form
of a set of bit sequences thatcan be interpreted by a computer or other
computational facility.  Each sequence consists of a type-value pair,
at least one of which is the identifier for the DO. The sequences need
not all be stored in one place, or stored at all, but if they are
stored, they are generally assumed to be accessible from one or more
known locations.

One form of state information is the location(s) of the DO. Another
form is selected metadata about the DO, generally known as key metadata.
Type information is an example of key metadata. Type information itself
is stored as DOs and can be retrieved by a formula that converts type
strings into identifiers.  Types used in identifier records must be
resolvable in the Global Handle Registry® ("GHR"). The types intended
for general use by the public are stored in the GHR, but may also be
stored by a Resolution Service Provider ("RSP"), if desired.

Each identifier consists of a prefix and a suffix separated from the
prefix by a slash "/". The prefix is not permitted to contain a slash;
and the suffix may be any string selected by the Administrator for that
prefix. The top level of the Handle System, known as the Global Handle
Registry, contains all the prefixes, and may contain all, some or none
of the identifier records associated with each prefix. Prefixes derived
from allotted prefixes are known as derived prefixes. Each derived
prefix is also considered an allotted prefix, and, unless otherwise
authorized by the Handle System Administrator, each such derived prefix
must be registered in the GHR.

Specific prefixes have been reserved by the Handle System Administrator
for certain general categories. Apart from such prefixes, prefixes shall
generally be allotted in order beginning with unassigned five digit
numbers and increasing thereafter.

RSPs may wish to operate identifier and/or resolution systems using the
Handle System technology that have different interface specifications.
To operate such a system, RSP must request a waiver from the Handle
System Administrator of the requirement that RSP services be compatible
with the Handle System interface specification. As part of the
registration procedure, RSP should request such a waiver and provide
the requested information necessary for the GHR to have an effective
means of responding to resolution requests relating to RSP's alternative
identifier and/or resolution system. There may be additional fees
associated with the registration process in this case. The GHR will
allocate a prefix (or its functional equivalent) for the
alternative system that will be used by the GHR to respond to
resolution requests involving the alternative system. The Handle
System Administrator will work with RSP to install the alternative
interface software in the GHR. Compliance with these procedures will
enable interoperability with the Handle System, even though the
interface specifications may differ.

Information about the Handle System has been documented in IETF RFCs
3650, 3651, and 3652 which may be found at the Handle System Internet
site: http://www.handle.net. This work was supported in part by the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under Grant No.
MDA 972-99-1-0018 and Grant No. MDA 972-92-J-1029.

b. General Service Considerations

Each Resolution Service Provider shall maintain a reasonable
quality of service, including, but not limited to, the following
considerations:

-o- Compatibility and smooth interaction among RSP system
components, and the interaction of those components with the GHR as
well as with users of RSP's identifier and/or resolution services;

-o- Consistency and reliability in service performance;

-o- Proper system management and performance tracking;

-o- Non-interrupted access to/from the GHR; and

-o- Overall system security.

In the event RSP enters into an agreement with a third party to provide
its identifier and/or resolution services using a prefix allotted to
RSP, or derived from such prefix for which the RSP has paid the
requisite fee, the third party is not required to enter into a separate
service agreement with CNRI for this purpose, but must register with
CNRI and agree to be bound by the Handle System Public License. In
addition, RSP shall flow down in its agreement with the third party the
applicable terms and conditions of its service agreement with CNRI, it
being understood that responsibility for fulfilling the obligations of
the service agreement remain with RSP.

c. Specific Operational Considerations for an RSP

Resolution of an identifier with a given prefix produces an identifier
record containing state information, such as location information for
RSP services.

Accordingly, RSP shall:

-o- Maintain all such identifier records at a single identifying
address (e.g., IP Address, service identifier or other system
coordinates), which shall be provided by the RSP Administrator to the
Handle System Administrator, and which is sufficient to permit the GHR
to redirect a client application to the RSP service where the
identifier records will be resolved;

-o- Provide identifier and/or resolution services at the single
identifying address for RSP's identifier records; such services shall
be limited to those that are under the common ownership and control
of RSP;

-o- Provide secure maintenance of Private Keys by each RSP
Administrator; and

-o- Provide timely reports to the Handle System Administrator
(hdladmin@cnri.reston.va.us) of service configuration changes, such
as RSP moving its current identifier and/or resolution services
location.

If RSP wishes to provide services that do not meet the criteria listed
above, RSP should contact the Handle System Administrator to request
permission for alternate arrangements, and CNRI, at its sole discretion,
reserves the right to determine whether to permit such services. For
example, RSP may wish to operate its identifier and/or resolution
services ("RSP Services") using multiple components (e.g., multiple
machines, multiple software instances or mobile programs), where each
component has its own identifying address. Specifically, an RSP may
wish to run a single resolution service, using a single prefix, where
the identifier records are distributed across multiple identifying
addresses, or, where a single IP address is used with different network
ports. In such cases, RSP shall provide to the Handle System
Administrator sufficient information about the separate components of
RSP Services; and additional charges may apply.

If RSP wishes to operate private identifier and/or resolution services
(such as services maintained behind a firewall that are not publicly
accessible), it must so notify the Handle System Administrator in
advance. Upon notification, RSP's prefix(es) will be retained in the
GHR, which will provide resolution information to the extent such
information is made available to it by RSP. If no such information
is provided by RSP, the GHR will state that identifiers beginning
with RSP's prefix(es) are not publicly resolvable.

RSPs that wish to allocate derived prefixes to themselves or to third
parties for purposes of providing identifier and/or resolution services,
and not have such derived prefixes known to the GHR, must notify the
Handle System Administrator for approval at the time of registration,
or any time thereafter, provided that such notification is received
and approved prior to using such derived prefixes. Permission for such
delegation of authority will generally involve qualification of the RSP
making the request, payment of additional service fees and compliance
with procedures commensurate with such delegation of authority. Since
these derived prefixes will not be known to the GHR, the RSP generating
them must agree to provide resolution services for these prefixes and to
maintain all the necessary information to assure that identifiers
beginning with these prefixes are resolvable.

d. GHR Considerations

Although identifiers may be resolved by the GHR, RSP will generally
choose to resolve identifiers directly from its own service without
using the GHR after it has registered and been given a prefix from
the Handle System Administrator.

In addition to each prefix and its related administrative data, RSP
may, at CNRI's sole discretion, store a limited amount of additional
identifier information in the GHR for resolution, backup or for other
purposes under a separately negotiated Technical Support Agreement
between CNRI and RSP.

Click the "Accept" button below to sign and accept the terms of this Handle System Service Agreement
and proceed with your registration.

Updated 23 September 2008

Send inquiries to hdladmin@cnri.reston.va.us