ICANN Moves Against GoDaddy Domain Lockdowns

[Rockefeller]

I heard about this a few days ago but haven't seen it posted here.

It's about time!


"ICANN is finally taking action against Domain Registrar GoDaddy's controversial 'lockdowns'. GoDaddy has long had a policy of 'locking down' domain names for 60 days after a customer updated their contact details. This put customers in a Catch 22 position: ICANN requires customers keep their contact details up to date, or risk having the domain forfeited. Yet during the lockdown period the customer is prevented from transferring the domain from GoDaddy to another registrar. If the lockdown ran over the domain's expiry date, customers were forced to renew with GoDaddy or lose the domain. ICANN proposes to ban this practice. ICANN who is charged with overseeing the Internet has long been accused of giving domain registrars a free ride. But recently after ICANN failed to discipline Network Solutions over a front-running scam, they found themselves both on the wrong end of a lawsuit by lawyers Kabateck Brown Kellner. Is ICANN's action a signal of increased vigilance in policing registrars, or is it a PR move paving the way for a complete removal of US Government oversight?"

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../04/08/0349253

[godolphin]

This practice bothers me when i buy a Godaddy reg'd name and have to hold for 60 days until i can flip it. However, can someone let me know if a Push is allowed in that 60 days period?

[kriss05]

Push is allowed

[trader]

Godaddy is still rejecting the lockdown transfers away. Just rejected 2 I tried to do today.

[James]

I thought Adam was working to change that policy ??

[draggar]

Originally Posted by James

I thought Adam was working to change that policy ??

Working on it may take time, things like this don't happen overnight. All this legal BS and red tape they have to run though can take weeks to months.

I agree, though, this policy should be done away with.

[acronym007]

I really don't know who thought up the policy but it was flawed from the start. What gets me is why do companies try to take advantage of customers UNTIL they are stopped, they have to be forced to stop, they won't stop on their own. Isn't there anyone in there to say, this is a not advantage, this policy is not good for business, why are we ding this, etc...

[Rockefeller]

Next up....the 7 day account change hold at Enom.

[domaingenius]

Why is it that companies that one could once trust like Netsol ,GD ,Register are now the biggest bunch of .......?? High time ICANN cracks down, and I know that is what they are now going to do!

DG

[meganerd]

Originally Posted by Rockefeller

Next up....the 7 day account change hold at Enom.

7 days sure is a lot better than 60 days! I had a nightmare with a GoDaddy reseller account because of this.

[mediawizard]

The thing is the 60 days from reg is common across all registrars. This is actually not too bad.

What godaddy does is lock down the domain 60 days after push, this is a bit much. Not that it helps with 'security' since they have a hands off policy for 'outside tdnam' deals.

About time someone took notice. The 7 day deal at enom is not too bad, maybe this 7 days should be allowed legally to all registrars.

[godolphin]

Originally Posted by kriss05

Push is allowed

Thanks for the info.

[Focus]

The tiny fraction of a % of customers this policy benefits (like those who get their domains stolen) does not justify or outweigh it's negative effects on everyone else. Yes, it definitely increases their bottom line, and you cannot fault them for wanting to keep customers and make money (as this was designed to do imo) but at some point your free rights to do what you want with your domain name must prevail!

[PREDATOR]

Originally Posted by Focus

The tiny fraction of a % of customers this policy benefits (like those who get their domains stolen) does not justify or outweigh it's negative effects on everyone else. Yes, it definitely increases their bottom line, and you cannot fault them for wanting to keep customers and make money (as this was designed to do imo) but at some point your free rights to do what you want with your domain name must prevail!

word

also if you got top generic super coms you would be clinically insane to keep at godaddy anyway. transfer the babies to Moniker and double lock the whores , add 10 years , then they're safe while you travel the world.

that is after the 60 day deadline has expired

nice to see godaddy getting spanked for this, they have been bad on this.
maybe 10 days if for a security thang. 60 days is clearly scamming

[Domainster]

Sure wish there would be some laws or stricter rules against Registrars cherry picking expiring premium/desireable names and keeping them for their own proprietary account.....thus preventing registrant customers and/or the general public from getting a Fair shot at them. HUGE conflict of interest!!! Furthermore, it gives the distict smell of a "customer comes last" mentality

I come out of a Wall Street background and there are some distinct rules and laws inclusive of (Federal & State Gov., SEC Nasdaq, NFA, CFTC) Wall Steet for broker-dealers and their employess from insider trading , front running on trades and not buying hot IPO's (IPO's that are over subscribed for or are in high demand by the investing public) When individuals or companies in that sector get "Caught" breaching these laws... there are serious repercussions and penalties and even frequent and successful legal prosecution.

Certain Registrars CherryPicking and keeping expiring domains for their own accounts is akin to front-running and insider trading......these "Indusrty Insider" blatant Sweatheart deals are clearly an unfair advantage and abusive of their Registrar accredidations.

ICANN shouldn't sleep on this much longer either !

[domaingenius]

Originally Posted by Domainster

Sure wish there would be some laws or stricter rules against Registrars cherry picking expiring premium/desireable names and keeping them for their own proprietary account.....thus preventing registrant customers and/or the general public from getting a Fair shot at them. HUGE conflict of interest!!! Furthermore, it gives the distict smell of a "customer comes last" mentality

I come out of a Wall Street background and there are some distinct rules and laws inclusive of (Federal & State Gov., SEC Nasdaq, NFA, CFTC) Wall Steet for broker-dealers and their employess from insider trading , front running on trades and not buying hot IPO's (IPO's that are over subscribed for or are in high demand by the investing public) When individuals or companies in that sector get "Caught" breaching these laws... there are serious repercussions and penalties and even frequent and successful legal prosecution.

Certain Registrars CherryPicking and keeping expiring domains for their own accounts is akin to front-running and insider trading......these "Indusrty Insider" blatant Sweatheart deals are clearly an unfair advantage and abusive of their Registrar accredidations.

ICANN shouldn't sleep on this much longer either !

I can tell you a very large culprit for this, it is Domain Discover. Never ever will a domain expire with them, they change the WHOIS to their own details time and again I have seen it. Why do ICANN do nothing about it ?. I actually wondered to myself whether there might be some legal action could be taken against such Registrars ,on the basis that the domains should go back into a publicly available pool and by changing the whois and keeping it they are deny the public opportunity to register.

DG

[mediawizard]

All of them do front running - netsol via namejet, gd via tdnam, i'm sure pool and the others also have these 'sweetheart' deals.

But one step at a time gentlemen.

Can't change the world overnight, but a step in the right direction helps.

[reclad]

Some time ago GoDaddy modified the 60-day lockdown to only kick in if changes
to (mainly) the Admin contact name was made. Prior to that, any trivial change
to street number, zip code, telephone number etc. would activate the 2 month 'escrow'.

[DNP]

Any news?
60-days rule is still active:(