WHOIS is a protocol which makes it possible to view the details a given domain has been registered with through a command line or with the help of special web-based lookup sites. This info includes the names, address and e-mail address of the owner, admin, technical and billing persons along with the registrar company the domain address has been purchased through, the creation and expiration dates. Apart from some country-code TLDs that have certain limitations, the WHOIS details of any domain name can be changed freely anytime, which is quite important considering that based on the policies of the top-level Internet Corporation, ICANN, all details have to be current and correct at all times. Failing to comply with these policies could lead to losing the ownership of a domain address and in some cases a domain name might even be erased from the Domain Name System and released for free registration.