Effective: 2026-09-07 (v0, testnet)
These terms cover the arcns websites (arcns.io, docs.arcns.io), the resolver API (api.arcns.io) and the arcns smart contracts deployed on the Arc chain built by Circle (together, "arcns"). By using any of them you accept these terms. If you do not, do not use arcns.
1. Who operates arcns
arcns is built and operated by Fortiblox ("we", "us"). Fortiblox is the operator of the websites, the API and the governance keys of the contracts.
arcns is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Circle Internet Group, USDC, or the Arc network. "Arc", "Circle" and "USDC" are marks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe which chain and which assets arcns is compatible with.
2. Testnet — no monetary value
arcns currently runs on Arc testnet (chain id 5042002). Everything on testnet — names, records, marketplace listings, balances — has no monetary value, may stop working at any time, and may be reset, in which case all testnet registrations are lost. Do not rely on a testnet name for anything that matters. A mainnet launch, if and when it happens, will be announced with its own terms.
3. What a name is
A name (@handle, name.arc, name.circle) is a permanent registration recorded on-chain: there is no annual renewal and no expiry. A name is controlled by whoever controls the address that owns it. Ownership, records and transfers are executed by the smart contracts, not by us.
That has consequences you accept when you register:
- We cannot reverse an on-chain transfer, a lost key, or a mistaken record. If you lose control of the owning address, you lose the name unless you had set up the on-chain recovery address beforehand.
- Registration is first come, first served within the rules below. Registering a name gives you the on-chain token; it gives you no trademark or other right in the word itself.
- Names are ASCII only (
a-z,0-9,-). There is no Unicode, and therefore no "look-alike" name policy beyond that rule.
4. Reserved names
Some names are reserved: well-known brands, system and protocol names, and names we hold to prevent impersonation. Reserved names are either held by the arcns treasury and released only to a verified claimant, or blocked so nobody can register them. The reserved list is published in the repository. Circle-brand labels (for example circle, usdc, arc) are blocked in every namespace.
5. The .circle namespace
.circle is offered as a community namespace. It is not operated by, or on behalf of, Circle. If Circle asks us to withdraw it, we will retire the .circle namespace through the published path: registrations are paused, a sunset date is set, and holders are refunded or migrated to another namespace as described in the repository. By registering a .circle name you accept that this can happen.
6. What you must not do
You must not use arcns to:
- impersonate a person, company, product or protocol, or register a name for the purpose of misleading others about who you are;
- register or use a name that infringes a trademark or other right you do not hold (see Trademark);
- do anything unlawful in your jurisdiction, including sanctions evasion, fraud or money laundering;
- attack, overload or interfere with the websites, the API or the RPC endpoints we operate.
We may refuse to serve you through the websites and the API for any of the above. We cannot and do not remove names from the chain; a name registered in breach of these terms stays on-chain but may be excluded from our interfaces and from the reserved-name claim process.
7. Open source, no warranty
The arcns code is published under the MIT license. arcns is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Smart contracts can contain bugs; chains can halt or fork; we may take the websites and the API offline at any time.
8. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Fortiblox and its contributors are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of names, funds, data or goodwill, arising from your use of arcns — including losses caused by lost keys, mistaken transfers, contract bugs, chain resets or the retirement of a namespace.
9. Governing law and venue
Fortiblox is the operator. The governing law and venue clause for arcns will be published on this page before any mainnet launch. Until then these testnet terms apply as written.
10. Changes
We may change these terms. The effective date at the top is the version you are reading; the history is in the repository. Continued use after a change means you accept it.
11. Contact
Contact: [email protected].