Cold Hard Registrar Hoarding Evidence

[dotsofdomains]

Let's compile here some cold hard example of registrar hoarding expired domains, only to discover them registered to registrar insiders some days, weeks or months after they should have dropped and been available for all.

What is the worst abuse of the process that you can document--and I mean document? Leave the congecture for another day.

For ficticious example of what we have all heard about: valuabledomainname.com expired and was up for renewal on the last date of Jan 1st. It remained unrenewed for a full month. On Feb 1st the domain was placed on hold by VeriSaneRegistrar and remained on hold for two and a half months, when, without warning and without a drop off the root noticeable to anyone, valuabledomainname.com suddenly appeared as newly registerd to the wife of an officer of VeriSaneRegistrar, with a new annual renewal date of April 15th.

Let's collect the cold, hard evidence and post it here, NOW!!!

 

[Nic]

netrwork sol has not droped a name since it expired on june 1999

 

[dotsofdomains]

Nic: Are you saying they have not dropped a single name, or that you are are aware of one name that is being hoarded?

 

[Nic]

the latter case (aware of three actually)

 

[DotComster]

NetSol - I had a lot of examples on mind, but forget them.

register.com - 3 recent examples mentioned on WHT, too lazy to do a search, but here are two more:

iArabs.net
iArabs.org

"Unpaid Names Department" at register.com - they also have a few other departments that hold domains.

 

[Anthony Ng]

I'm not speaking in favour of Register.com, but I did track a domain name that had once been held by their Unpaid Names Department, and it was released later.

 

[domainduck]

The never-ending story.

NSI's continuous abuse of expiry dates

http://www.icannwatch.org/article.php?sid=558

quack

 

[dotsofdomains]

Anyone have the time and servers space to log these expiry date statistics? I'm all for data. Let's get some and share some with the ICANN power brokers!! Any volutneers??

 

[Nic]

I I captain !

 

[dotsofdomains]

Nic: You da man! Let's nail 'em now. Safesys just caught an obvious "insider trade" of a domain he let go the other day--it never dropped, but showed up registered later with his renewal date and DNS setttings still intact. I'm ticked!

 

[mole]

As I said, its not the problem of registrars. Is there any legally binding code of ethics that says registrars should release these names to the public on expiration.

The argument is simple - a registrant does not pay for renewal despite written notification, the registrar holds it on their own 'expense' after the expiration period to help the registrant maintain his/her name in good faith. The registrar, if they like the name, acquires that name on their own behalf after the grace period and personally bear the cost of that. Fair and square.

Registrars do have rights to acquiring and obtaining their own set of domains, in case you have forgotten.

 

[dotsofdomains]

I gotta look at the fine print in the ICANN registrar contract for the answer to that one, Mole. And I will look. . .

 

[mole]

k, thanks DOD.

You may also find that registrars do have the right to LL .info names when submitting their queues to Afilias :dead:

 

[dotsofdomains]

Here is the link to the ICANN Agreement with its Accredited Registrars:

http://www.icann.org/registrars/ra-agreement-17may01.htm

The only section that I can find which concerns the expiration of registrations DOES NOT obligate the accredited registrars to drop the domain to the public. It does obligate the registrar to abide by any policy that ICANN may adopt at a subsequent point in time.

Here is the relevant section 3.7.5

3.7.5 Registrar shall register Registered Names to Registered Name Holders only for fixed periods. At the conclusion of the registration period, failure by or on behalf of the Registered Name Holder to pay a renewal fee within the time specified in a second notice or reminder shall, in the absence of extenuating circumstances, result in cancellation of the registration. In the event that ICANN adopts a specification or policy concerning procedures for handling expiration of registrations, Registrar shall abide by that specification or policy.

It now appears that we must inspect the registrar agreements with their registered name holders to see if the registrars have agreed not to hoard domains that have expired. As far as ICANN's present policy, it appears that the registrars can do so without violating their agreement with ICANN. If ICANN has adopted a policy that I am unaware of, please post it here.

I am surprised and displeased and am off to inspect the registrar agreements with their customers. More to follow. If you can post the relevant sections of your registrar's agreement with you, please do so.

 

[mole]

k, DOD. :shy:

 

[dotsofdomains]

The hoarding stories have slowed lately. And I notice that the drops have been pretty large this past week...