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What to Do When Your ISP Steals Your Domain?

Posted by Cliff on from the digital-claim-jumping dept.

sahonen asks: "Some web hosting providers also provide domain registration on the side, which is great for users who want to keep things simple. What ends up happening, though, is the user will want to switch hosting providers, but their old host will hold on to the domain to try and lock the user in. I've seen this happen many times and it's not pretty. This happened to a friend of mine just recently and he's asking me for advice. I don't want him to have to buy another domain when he's worked so hard to establish his old one. Aren't domains legal property (we are in the US here)? Can he nail the old host for cybersquatting? And for the philosophers, how do these hosts expect to maintain a good reputation when they engage in such unscrupulous business practices?"

5 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. Hold Onto the Domain? by bellings · · Score: 4, Informative
    Can you explain what you mean by "Hold Onto the Domain?" According to Network Solutions, the WHOIS info is:

    Domain ID: D3077347-CNO
    Domain Name: bigboydrums.com
    Creation Date: 2003-01-16 17:47:38 UTC
    Expiration Date: 2004-01-16 16:50:28 UTC
    Sponsoring Registrar: CORE-95
    Created by: CORE-95
    Updated by: CORE-95
    Last Updated By Registrar: CORE-95
    Maintainer: 95
    Registrant ID: COCO-1401654
    Registrant Name: Daniel Cervantes
    Registrant City: Moreno Valley
    Registrant State/Province: CA
    Registrant Postal Code: 92557
    Registrant Country: US
    Registrant Phone Number: +90.96408124
    Registrant Fax Number: +.
    Registrant Email: danrox79@aol.com
    Admin ID: COCO-1401655
    Admin Name: Daniel Cervantes
    Admin City: Moreno Valley
    Admin State/Province: CA
    Admin Postal Code: 92557
    Admin Country: US
    Admin Phone Number: +90.96408124
    Admin Fax Number: +.
    Admin Email: danrox79@aol.com
    Tech ID: COCO-68844
    Tech Name: Fast DNS
    Tech Organization: FastDNS
    Tech Address: 4 trefoil drive
    Tech City: Trumbull
    Tech State/Province: CT
    Tech Postal Code: 06611
    Tech Country: US
    Tech Phone Number: +99.99999999
    Tech Email: reg@fastdns.net
    Zone ID: COCO-68844
    Zone Name: Fast DNS
    Zone Organization: FastDNS
    Zone Address: 4 trefoil drive
    Zone City: Trumbull
    Zone State/Province: CT
    Zone Postal Code: 06611
    Zone Country: US
    Zone Phone Number: +99.99999999
    Zone Email: reg@fastdns.net
    Name Server: ns1.worldaxxs.net
    Name Server: ns2.worldaxxs.net

    Database last updated on 2003-10-02 22:25:44 UTC
    Are you saying that your friend registered the domain through his hosting company, but someone at the hosting company named "Daniel Cervantes" registered it in his own name instead?

    If that is the case, then you don't have a domain squatter. You have theft through deception. Take them to court.
    --
    Slashdot is jumping the shark. I'm just driving the boat.
    1. Re:Hold Onto the Domain? by sg_oneill · · Score: 2, Informative

      wollongong = australia not new zealand.

      Some might argue that nz is our eighth state tho. Theres actually a provision in the aust constitution welcoming them in. They seem to of declined the offer :)

      --
      Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
  2. Read the fine print by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 3, Informative
    What does his agreement with the ISP say? If it says they own the domain, he's screwed. The domain should have been registered in his name in the first place; the fact that it was registered in the ISP's name should have been his first clue.

    BTW, domain name disputes cost $1000 to $2000. So if the ISP is asking less than $1000, that may be your cheapest route out of this mess, as morally repugnant as that sounds.

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  3. checked the policies by herrvinny · · Score: 4, Informative

    I checked the legal garbage at (http://www.olm.net/standardpolicies.html) and there doesn't seem to be any provision about OLM.net keeping domain name rights. Hit them with a complaint, and file complaints with the Better Business Bureau, etc. By the way, since your friend's site seems to be /.'ed, the Service Agreement here (http://www.olm.net/sla.html) says your friend is due some refund because his site is down....

  4. Solution is simple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since Mr. Cervantes is listed as the Admin contact for the domain, all he has to do is contact the registrar and change the technical contact for this domain to himself, then he can set the nameservers to whatever addresses/hostnames he pleases, whenever he pleases. Do bear in mind that once you change you nameservers on the domain record, it may take as long as a day or so for the updates to propagate around the planet.