10 years on and I'm still being stalked over a domain registration

[Bailey]

I hope you all don't mind but, I'm going to share this factual story with you all partly because it's begining to do my head-in.

10/11 years ago I had an inkling that touch-technology was likely to be a fairly major input type sometime in the future. So went about registering a few dozen or so mostly generic, descriptive terms in .com and .co.uk. realised pretty early on that even being a few years ahead - was still late to this vision. Anyway still got myself enough to put away until the days of reality (or not)

Anyway one particular guy came at me regarding one of my .com registrations March 2000. It was a hand reg descriptive I held the .co.uk since 2 months earlier - so seeing the .com become available was a real bonus or so I thought. ( the .com had only been reg the year before so dropped after it's 12 initial month cycle) I checked the archive's and it hadn't been used. there was a single personal class TM (nothing to do with touchscreens and again with no apparent history).

After a couple of months May 2000 I get an email from some guy giving me this massive tale of woe about the registration. The trouble for me was A) i really wanted to keep the domain and B) his whole tale didn't add up. I then spent hours researching all the claimed background - And said straight out "everything you've told me isn't true" (all went quite for 11 years)

Now this last two weeks (11 years later) his back with an even more unbelievable list of events. The moment i decide to give him some investigating time - I'm back where I started 11 years ago - It's nearly all Bollocks with just every line being a total fabrication of both his history and now "planned use" for the domain. Even his TM was cancelled. His long-long email Is a mixture of, vield threats, begging, anger. honestly it's like spring 2000 all over again.

Oh and by the way a major company has just applied for several TM classes - so I don't have a problem understanding his wants just the 11 year time-line.

 

[Systreg]

Ok ok, I get the message, I wont email you about it again

I would just send a point blank reply to his long email, something simple along the lines of, Hi, it's not for sale, Regards xxxxx, and then block his email address, and the same with any other email addresses he mails from.

 

[wb]

He had it for 12 months and let it expire. You hold on to it and pay to renew it for 11 years, and yet he thinks he has a right to get it back.

Unbelievable, and not worth spending your time replying to him.

Fingers crossed you get a nice big offer from the major company coming your way.

 

[denchomsky]

Don't see what the issue is, just ignore the idiot, he was probably in a mental home for the last 10 years and he just got out.

 

[Pred]

i find this works

 

[Bailey]

I'm glad all you guys can see the humour in it - I knew you would.

sysreg. - I tried that response at the begining.

Wb - yep they do now own all the other tld.cclds extensions. So maybe it's looking this way

denchomsky - I needed a public record incase your right - "Bodybag in Thames found" ?

Pred- I already think he may be Phsyco - I'm not about to play dare

It's alll good fun guys - where would we be today without domains Eh ?

 

[Pred]

put whois privacy on domain and simply ignore his emails is best policy
if he actually sends a threatening email contact old bill

 

[newguy]

I'd definitely ignore his emails in future. You'd think after all of these years he'd move on..

 

[Bailey]

And thanks for seeing the serious side also guys - I make you right. It's just after years preaching awareness and responsibility in registrations, you can get over whelmed in the occasional instance

 

[BREWSTERS]

He hadn't contacted you for 11 years? I know you said it was a long email, but 11 years...how long did it take to read it?

 

[JMOT]

With regards the large company applying for TM's in several classes. You should see if you have rights to object to their TM based on your pre existing domain registration and any intended future use you may have.... might be enough to kickoff some serious sale negotiations

 

[Bailey]

Thanks for the comments. I'd love to share the email text but, it would be so wrong. I actually try to always be accommadating as possible to an interested party, puts them well on the back-foot. But, as I mentioned before I spend a lot of (available) time to check out any interested party - trouble sometimes you find out a bit more than you really wanted to know.

Started locking my windows at night

 

[brum]

sounds like this guy is a dreamer ... he thinks this one idea is going to make him millions , i don't know what the domain name is but if u have not had any other offers in 10 years and it does make much in parking rev then i would do the following:-

tell him you will do a Jv with him.
he can rent the domain off you £500 upfront and £100 per month he has a year then he can buy you out for £10K if he wants otherwise the domain reverts back to you.

9 times out of 10 he will never have the £500 upfront and will leave you alone .

change the numbers if it is a more premiium domain.

good luck or else u could always get a big dog .....