Advice on retrieving lost domains

[danoli]

Hi, we have been tasked with assisting a local business retireving 5 domains they had bought via a small business but unfortunately the owner (sole trader) died and now they are unable to get the domains.

There are two .co.uk and two .com.
The domains are not in any way associated to the (owning) companies name so not easyily identifiable as the companies. They were registered semi anonymously so stop competitor businesses seeing any development but unfortunatley this has bitten them on the 'bum'...

What are their options?

They do have an email from the deceased owner of the business with confirmation the domains are bought, they have an invoice from the same person. The domains are parked on the site owned by the desceased.

really they just need to know the process of who to speak to.

Any info appreciated.

 

[monaghan]

Don't know about the .com's but Nominet have a policy for dealing with domains for deceased registrants - http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/maintain/transfer/deceased/

 

[binny]

From what you are saying they own the .uk domains albeit with misleading registrant details so there should be nothing stopping them requesting an online service account at the Nominet website and updating the details including changing the registrar. Presumably they've registered the domains with an email address that they've got access to?

If they've had an opportunity to put in their own registrant details as you've described then they've 'got' the domains.

If the domains are registered in the deceased sole trader's name then the whole thing could be a scam.

 

[grantw]

The domains are not in any way associated to the (owning) companies name so not easyily identifiable as the companies. They were registered semi anonymously so stop competitor businesses seeing any development but unfortunatley this has bitten them on the 'bum'..

Your post is a bit unclear.

Has the transfer taken place ot not? Either they have been transferred and the new owners just need access to amend the registrant details or they haven't been transferred and are still in the previous owners name (or whatever name he registered them in).

Grant