clampdown on domain owners?

[disruptive]

I got the following from NIC recently:

It is important that all .uk domain names are registered to a legally identifiable person or company. Examples of this are the full name of an individual, the name of a sole trader t/a (trading as) trading name, and the full name of a limited company.

We need you to update your account name, because we have been made aware that the current 'XX' account name we hold for you is not a legally identifiable person or company and is therefore incorrect.

Please log into your online account with Nominet at http://www.nominet.org.uk/go/login and click on the 'Organisation Details' tab to update the account name of each of the domain names listed above.

[GreyWing]

It seems a standard letter, looks like someone wants one of your names and trying the dark arts of telling nom instead of being a man about it and making an offer.

Luckily Nominet are pretty fair and do try to contact people before they cancel it.

My advice just play the game and fill the correct details in and everyone's a winner.

[disruptive]

Thanks greywing.

Interested in your avoid website. I've had this burning passion to do one since about 1999...but always worried about getting sued. Still its a great idea and would love to see it flourish [I have a mental note of about 50 companies to list].

[mat]

I had this when I first started out and was still listed as a "UK Individual" and needed to change it as was trading on sites.

[HariSeldon]

Originally Posted by GreyWing

It seems a standard letter, looks like someone wants one of your names and trying the dark arts of telling nom instead of being a man about it and making an offer.

That's a bit harsh GreyWing!

I've contacted Nom about this before and would have no qualms about doing it again in the future. Quite apart from being against Nom's rules it's really frustrating when Registrants have an incorrect name or address on a domain you're interested in and so there's absolutely no way to contact them.

Obviously in my case if there's a known Tag showing then I'll try to make contact that way but Joe Blogs won't know what that means and the Tag is no help to anyone if it's FASTHOSTS etc.

[Skinner]

One of the people I partner with bought a domain name, which was registered to a christian name, no surname, using the address of the registrar, anyway no transfer came, but the name was detagged. So my friend emailed nom to try and gain contact with the owner, he was essentially told the registration was a little unusual and they would try to contact the owner to correct the data so he was contactable. However they replied saying the address was real so there was no problem even tho the legally identifiable owner only had a christian name listed.

A month later, the domain sits there untagged, with a single christian name as the regged name, detagged with the registrars address (who claim the name was regged with them but was transferred away some years ago, but wouldn't tell me more when I tried to help).

Yet when someone on acorn reported my names week after week for being whois opted out, they actually suspended some of my names because I didn't update it in time.

Hardly even handed on general public vs business.

Now I know I can just put nominet, buckingham palace, mars or whatever address in, I have no need to opt out :P

[jasman]

That reminds me of some advice I read years ago on the Web that suggested when you buy a new TV and the shop asks for your address so they can pass it on to the BBC t/a TV Licensing, you should give TV Licensing's address.

[GreyWing]

Originally Posted by HariSeldon

That's a bit harsh GreyWing!

I've contacted Nom about this before and would have no qualms about doing it again in the future. Quite apart from being against Nom's rules it's really frustrating when Registrants have an incorrect name or address on a domain you're interested in and so there's absolutely no way to contact them.

Yep fair point mate, there are some that hunt names and will try every trick in the book short of making an offer and yes there are some who register names in crazy aliases such as ones I have seen Registrant: you can't find me

So I guess no way to tell, anyway much easier to default drs someone these days, obviously if there contact details are wrong, you get the name anyway.

Originally Posted by Skinner

Yet when someone on acorn reported my names week after week for being whois opted out, they actually suspended some of my names because I didn't update it in time.

That seems a bit harsh, usually they just give you notice they are setting the names to non opt out and show your address. Never seen them turn them off before.

Originally Posted by disruptive

Thanks greywing.

Interested in your avoid website. I've had this burning passion to do one since about 1999...but always worried about getting sued. Still its a great idea and would love to see it flourish [I have a mental note of about 50 companies to list].

Yep still doing a bit of live testing, although we are getting there. From speaking to some legal people, as long as I give companies / organisations the right to flag any potentially libelous posts and act accordingly then I will be fine.

I was going to limit it to travel at first, still not sure if the site is too large to start with.

Fingers crossed we'll get there,

[Skinner]

I'm just hunting the emails down to double check exactly what the problem with the domains was, but 2 out of maybe 10 names was suspended. As I recall (this was about 12-14 months ago), they gave me 7 days to correct each one. Some of them was while I was away so they actually went into suspended, until I got back online to update them.

[Skinner]

I can't find all the emails, but I did find this one.

If the domain name is not updated or we do not hear from you by Day Month
Year, the domain names will be put forward for suspension pending
cancellation at a later date. Once suspended any services that use the
domain name will stop working.