Domain Name Registration: Retreiving a Lost Domain Name
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Raj Rao
Domain Name Registration - What Does Losing a Domain Name Mean?
Imagine that you have completed the Domain Name Registration over a year ago and have been planning to launch your big e-commerce website shortly and you suddenly realize that the domain no longer belongs to you. This happens to many of us who forget to renew our domain name in time.
Domain Name Registration is generally purchased for one year, unless you have elected to go for multiple year registration of your domain name.
Losing a domain name means that your domain has been registered by somebody else who has been watching the expiration of your domain name. In fact, there are automated tools available to grab domain names that are not renewed in time.
If the domain was for personal use, then it is possible to find an alternate, but if the domain was for a specific business use, finding an alternate can be a major issue.
Your Domain Name may be worth more to somebody else than to you, especially if you have not launched your website yet. So, it is necessary to guard your domain name all the time, even if it is not put to use.
Domain Name Registration - How to Get It Back
You need to appreciate that in spite of having legally completed the Domain Name Registration, the domain does not belong to you anymore. Your Domain Registrar is not in any position to retrieve the Domain Name for you.
Depending on how valuable the domain is for you, you should consider sending a legal notice to the Registrar, especially if it also violates your registered Trade Mark or Brand Name.
You can file for Arbitration through ICANN by producing all the documentary evidence to show that the domain name is indeed infringing on your Intellectual Property.
The second and more practical option is to approach the registrant to sell the domain name back to you. If the registrant does not have any plans for setting up his own website, he would be willing to hand over the domain back to you for a premium. This could range from just the cost of the Domain to several thousand dollars. The value of the domain is directly proportionate to the traffic it generates due to its placement in the search engines.
Tips for Domain Name Registration Without Legal Hassles
During the Domain Name Registration process, please consider how long you would need to build and deploy your website. If you intend to keep the domain name idle for over a year, it is advisable to purchase the Domain name Registration for multiple years.
After you have completed the Domain name Registration, subscribe to a Domain Name Monitoring service that will monitor your domain name for a whole year, for as little as $10. This service would send you a notification every time it detects a change in the Domain name Record. This will give you sufficient time to take corrective action.
