Fasthosts has mass registered unclaimed .uk names - does that queer the process?

[Siusaidh]

Hi,

I'm Siusaidh, previously posted here as Susannah, but I forgot my log in details. I discovered today that
on June 10th and 11th Fasthosts registered all the .uk domain names where their clients held the .co.uk rights to the .uk

For example, I have liturgy.co.uk with them and logged on today to claim my domain, and found it's 'unavailable' but they've registered it. I can sort that out, and will, but that's not my main concern.

A quick random check of 100 domains produced 5 other .uk domains registered on June 10th/11th by Fasthosts, and a back check shows these are domains, like mine, where people have the .co.uk domains but have not taken up their option to register the .uk

This concerns me, because Fasthosts must have done this with 10,000 domains (maybe more? I'm guessing) and this seems to me to queer the Nominet process that clearly says unclaimed domains become available to the public if they are not claimed.

Fasthosts now have these registrations until June 2020, and that means that on the releases starting in the week of 1st July (and to the public a week later) all these thousands of domain names will NOT be available.

Given that people have had 5 years to register them, and the Nominet system is clear, this just doesn't seem to me to be right. I stand to be corrected.

I've spoken to Nominet and they sounded laissez-faire about it, saying that on balance it's good that current registrants don't get blackmailed into paying high prices for the name they missed. So they're not proposing to intervene.

I'm not worried for myself, but surely Nominet should be upholding the ground rule that if the registrant didn't choose to renew their name by June 25th 6am then all those names become accessible to the public.

Are you aware of this going on? Surely, after 5 years warning and time, a Registrar should not be extending the access rights of the .co.uk holder for yet another year? I don't see how that's fair on the general public, who have been told these domains become available to the public on specific dates.

Any views?

Siusaidh

 

[RobM]

I'm sure when these domains get auctioned (to avoid registrants being 'blackmailed' of course) there will be a few very much richer nominet board members.

 

[Sam]

This was always going to happen and FASTHOSTS isnt the only one to do this.

 

[Siusaidh]

I hope that's not the case, Rob. Fasthosts won't auction them, but I just think mass registration of .uk domains without the request of the .co.uk domain holder should have been ruled out in the setting up of the process. We saw this kind of malarkey with Afilias in the .info release almost 20 years ago. Have people learned nothing? There, some of the directors of the registry were using fake copyright claims to get choice .info names. One person faked thousands of copyright claims. Multiple registrars were at it.

I'm not saying Nominet are acting corrupt, but it is exactly this laissez-faire approach that queers the system for the public, and allows registrars to make hay. Fasthosts presumably simply want a longer period to try to make more money from late registrations. They're not into auctions. But I will not be surprised if some registrars try to auction all the unclaimed names in due course.

I took a cursory glance at 100 names this afternoon, when I realised they registered the one I had a right to. Take a look at the WHOIS for Charlie.uk, or tribes.uk, or footy.uk, or Bermuda.uk, or bishops.uk - or the name I've got a right to: liturgy.uk

I assume Fasthosts will be sitting on tens of thousands of these unclaimed names, and yet these names were meant to be released to the UK public, after the end of the 5 year period, and the execution of good process.

Siusaidh

 

[lazarus]

Yep the whole thing stinks from start to finish and massively in favor of the big registrars and some just happen to also sit on Nominet board. I am sure there is wrong doing here but I am not a lawyer.

 

[DomainAngel]

You cant just mass register the domains, you have to mass register and exercise the rights, so all the domains will be in the name of the co.uk owner etc

If at any point they sell them and its not in their terms its fraud and just 1 proven case will have nominet suspend their membership no matter how big they are.

 

[dee]

on a side note. I just received a refund from godaddy for a load of pre-order domains (all decent keywords etc ) I've checked a few and they are still all ROR for the co.uk owners.

So...they took money on pre-order / auction basis and now refunding saying there was an error.

 

[lazarus]

You cant just mass register the domains, you have to mass register and exercise the rights, so all the domains will be in the name of the co.uk owner etc

If at any point they sell them and its not in their terms its fraud and just 1 proven case will have nominet suspend their membership no matter how big they are.

Worth keeping an eye on these companies as they think that can do what they like..

on a side note. I just received a refund from godaddy for a load of pre-order domains (all decent keywords etc ) I've checked a few and they are still all ROR for the co.uk owners.

So...they took money on pre-order / auction basis and now refunding saying there was an error.

That sound suspect

 

[dee]

Worth keeping an eye on these companies as they think that can do what they like..



That sound suspect

yeah. Wasnt expecting to be the only one who placed a bid so would be auction, but bit weird they are now refunding when they are still ROR. For instance, refund examples

video.uk
signage.uk
rent.uk

And suprise suprise a load are now registered to fasthosts