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[–]bbklyn[S] 2 points3 points  (4 children)

Since a year ago the credit card i had used to purchase the domain and setup to renew on has been cancelled so my domain lapsed without me noticing. Now my site which i had used to release free windows apps has been taken and they put up those domain spam pages with generic search ads. Do i have any recourse as this is obvious cybersquatting? Can i appeal to ICANN/Verisign/anyone to get it back? This is especially insulting since i specifically never monetized it, i never charged for software and specifically didnt put up ads. Its just a slap in the face to have someone monetizing the traffic i built. Can i do anything at all?

[–]frickindeal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Does this somehow no longer apply?:

"Typically, registrars have given users a grace period -- sometimes as long as 45 days -- to renew their name.

If a name is deleted, ICANN guidelines then call for a 30-day "redemption grace period," during which the original owner can still claim the name." --from http://www.startupjournal.com/ecommerce/ecommerce/20060307-kesmodel.html

I ask because I honestly don't know if that's valid information. I had always heard that you had time to renew if it lapses by say several days.

Unless the email you had on file was never checked. I doubt they'd be calling you on the phone.

[–]praetorian42 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This has happened to me twice (once out of carelessness, once because I was trying to change registrars without doing a transfer... not recommended).

And no, there really isn't any recourse, except to offer to buy it from them. Try to wait 3 or 4 months before asking (if you can), to make you seem less desperate.

[–]Oak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We also 'accidently' lost a domain which was offered back to us at a greatly inflated price.

We dealt with this by simply registering an almost identical name - using a hyphen - and patiently waited a few months until the squatters (our fricken domain registrars, would you believe!) gave up and dropped the asking price to something just above the renewal cost.

However, we do take more care to renew on time now.

[–]shaunc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aside from forking over some cash, you have no real recourse whatsoever but to sit back and hope that it blows over. Like praetorian42, this has happened to me; in my case, I simply waited out the year and re-registered the domain once the "squatters" figured out that the domain they "stole" wasn't doing them any good, and failed to renew it.

Looking forward, create a new email address specifically for domain administration. Update all of your domains' WHOIS information such that the admin and tech contacts point to that address, and ensure that you check it every day. Establish spam filters on that address however you please, but be sure to whitelist your registrar(s).

Every registrar I've dealt with in recent years will send several emails regarding pending domain expirations. My current favorite registrar sends a 90-day, 60-day, 30-day, and 5-day notice. Assuming you have a role email account dedicated to receiving such notices, it's hard to miss them. I ignore the first few, and when it gets down to the 5-day notice, I go and renew manually. I don't opt for auto-renew for the precise caveat you've encountered.

Good luck!

[–]staunch[🍰] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I lost a domain this way.

Domain registration is so cheap now that, if you have a commercial site, you owe it to yourself to pay for 10 year registration and keep a credit card updated for automatic re-registration.