[CLUE-Tech] domain name squatting

[Gary Threlkeld]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Cann" <j.cann at isuma.org>
To: <clue-tech at clue.denver.co.us>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 9:18 PM
Subject: [CLUE-Tech] domain name squatting


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> Greetings,
>
> Is there any recourse to obtain a domain name, registered
by another party,
> which is not being used?  The name in question has been
registered for 4
> years and appears to be renewed annually.  It does not
appear to be squatted
> by a squatting company as the home page is a register.com
'coming soon',
> rather than 'this domain for sale'.
>
> Has anyone had any experience in this matter?  What are
some suggestions to
> pry it away?  My only experience was when someone asked me
for a domain name
> I was no longer using.  I gave it to him gratis.
>

I'm not aware of a direct recourse.   I too have wanted
several domain names that were apparently dormant - one
which was already showing as expired but was not being
released for reuse by the registrar company - I believe it
was Network Solutions.

I could only think of two courses of action.  First, was if
the domain name was due to expire soon, I used a "domain
backorder" service offered by Godaddy.com .  For $18, they
would monitor the status of the domain name and ATTEMPT to
secure it when it became available.  Unfortunately, I guess
someone else had also used the same service because I missed
the domain name and it was registered by another party.
Godaddy tells you that its NOT guaranteed but if you miss
the domain name, they give you up to one year to monitor
other candidates before the service expires.  Secondly, I
actually emailed some of the administrative/technical
contacts shown by "whois" asking them to transfer the name
and that I was willing to pay.  One outright refused and
another wanted me to tell him exactly how I was going to use
the name before he would even think about releasing it -
guess he was looking to make a killing on a domain name
sale.  Needless to say - that too was a deadend.

Good Luck,

Gary