Someone stole by domain name!

ImDave

Well, not really. But here's what happened. I may be just be very unlucky, or I'm going paranoid. I checked a domain name on the 8th of June and it was available. Now, I didnt register it because I was stuck for time and said I would do it tomorrow. No, it's not a name that would be any good to anyone but my client. So, it was printed on the business cards and all that. Well, I went back to register it on the 10th of June, and what do you know, gone!

What I am wondering is, is there some kind of software/website that allows a person to see what name WHOIS searches are being preformed on, so they can register the name if its available and then charge for it at a later date?

Karoma

How/where did you do the WHOIS?

EKRIUQ

There's one US company notorious for doing that, a thread that was locked here over the same subject.

forbairt

Did you mention it to anyone ? (posting your ideas on public forums)

Did you do a whois on it at the moment to see who actually has it ?

ImDave

I preformed the WHOIS with Joker, the German registrar, who I have registered about 20 names in the past three or four years. I never posted the address on any forum/website or public place of any kind. The WHOIS gives details of an American company based in Virgina. Unsuprisingly, he has it listed on Cedo. I made a small offer for it because I don't really have a choice, just hope he accepts. Very annoying though!

forbairt

I use joker for a LOT of domains ... I've never had any problems .. even with just looking up and going back a week or two later ...

From the sounds of it either ...

1: You were unlucky
2: someone leaked something

Any chance this guy just bought it randomly you think ?

ImDave

forbairt wrote: »

Any chance this guy just bought it randomly you think ?

I guess it is always a possability. However, it is a website I am doing for a young Galway rock/pop band, and the name of the band is a term which would never be used outside of Ireland. If it was an Irish, or even UK person who registered it, I would put it down to bad luck. Theres no point in complaining I guess, I had the chance to register it and didn't take it. I was just interested to see had it been heard of before.

cormie

Maybe the band mentioned something on their myspace page if they have one? Maybe some chap is going around registering .coms of band names on myspace... wonder how it was leaked if not?..

forbairt

I've seen it happen to VERY obscure bands / artists before

My real life name I can understand being taken ... some of the others not really a chance in hell ... so yeah I'd say people are either monitoring myspace and buying them up ... (I mean if you're bulk registering domains its quite cheap)

I've seen people mention company names / ideas on here and then a day later Iv'e seen domain names grabbed by irish people so I always recommend you don't talk about it post it on forums. Just do it ...

Lesson learned unfortunately

ConsultClifford

Hi
this exact thing happened to me about 18 months ago. i found the name and decided to register it in a few days - and when i came to register it - it was gone !

lesson : if you think you may need a domain register it immediately - even if later u never use it - it only cost you a few dollars!

TheTubes

Sounds like it could have been domain name front running ?

EKRIUQ

OFF TOPIC:

That used happen here on boards, a person would request a new user name and before the admin would change it some one would register the name under a new acount. (Ah the good old days such fun)

Sully

Exact same thing happened to a client of mine. The domain is not being used, just one of those pages full of adverts. I used an american company to look it up, few days later it was gone.

Dabko

Had the same issue myself a few years back.
Was starting a company and through my own ignorance and naivety, i unwittingly disclosed the company name to a potential product supplier.

This "supplier", (who's also involved with a prominent Dublin design house) then went and registered the exact name as a .ie, claiming the .ie related to his business. Funny but the IEDR had no issues doing this, even though there was a registered company out there with the exact same name.

Anyhow, when i found out about it, the cheeky basstard tried to sell it back to me for 2 grand! Told him to jam up his mothers arse!

So went and registered a variation of the .ie name with a hyphen in it. 2 years later, he got feed up paying for the domain, so just never bothered renewing it. I now have it.:D

Trust no one when it comes to sh1t like that, it'll cost you a fortune in the long run to use WIPO (world intellectual property organisation)

jmcc

Dabko wrote: »

Had the same issue myself a few years back.
Was starting a company and through my own ignorance and naivety, i unwittingly disclosed the company name to a potential product supplier.

Always register the domain first.

This "supplier", (who's also involved with a prominent Dublin design house) then went and registered the exact name as a .ie, claiming the .ie related to his business. Funny but the IEDR had no issues doing this, even though there was a registered company out there with the exact same name.

The .ie namespace works on a first come, first served basis. The registrant has to prove entitlement. Even having a company name is no actual guarantee of being able to use it as a domain name.

Regards...jmcc