WHOIS is a protocol which makes it an easy task to view the info a particular domain has been registered with either through a command line or through the use of special web-based lookup websites. This info includes the names, address and e-mail address of the owner, administrator, technical and billing persons plus the registrar company the Internet domain has been acquired through, the creation and expiration dates. Except for some country-code TLDs that have specific limitations, the WHOIS info of any domain can be changed freely anytime, which is quite necessary since in accordance with the policies of the top-level Internet Corporation, ICANN, all details have to be current and correct at all times. Failure to comply with these policies may result in losing the ownership of an Internet domain and in some cases a domain name may even be erased from the Domain Name System and released for free registration.