I guess this is a cautionary tale.

I was recently having issues with my Gmail account that’s tied to my Epik ( a domain registrar ) account, so when I was supposed to renew my domain, I didn’t receive any e-mails about it. When I decided to randomly check on my website, it seemed to be down. So I checked Epik and a domain that usually cost £15 a year to renew now cost £400 to renew as it was expired.

As a teenager who does not have £400 to spend on a domain, I decided to just wait until the domain fully expired and buy it for a cheaper price.

After some time, the domain fully expired and GoDaddy decided to buy it as soon as it did, and charged me £2,225 to renew the domain. I don’t understand how a price that large is justified, considering that my website gets barely any visitors and I basically only use the domain for hosting stuff. No idea how hiking prices this much is legal

  • @[email protected]
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    492 months ago

    I simply don’t get why domain squatting is legal. On my ccTLD it is absolutely illegal meaning you have to forfeit the domain if you don’t use it anymore.

    • @kitnaht
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      362 months ago

      Just because you don’t have a website up at [XYZ].com doesn’t mean you’re not using it. You could have a domain controller on the back end doing file services, or you could be using it for network auth, etc. Not all .coms exist for the purpose of putting up a website.

      • @[email protected]
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        122 months ago

        Neither do .dk domains, but in order to determine use the courts will have to be involved. I haven’t heard about a lot of those cases, but I’d guess you can prove use against the person who wants to take the domain. If I have a domain called firstnamelastname.dk it’d be pretty easy to show that I got a mail address at [email protected] that’s in use.

      • Dr. Wesker
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        52 months ago

        I own 8 domains. Only one has HTTP/S ports open. The rest are for email and other services.

        • @[email protected]
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          102 months ago

          Other services will be reflected by active DNS records.

          If the only DNS record points to a “Buy this domain” webpage, I think it’s fair to argue that is misuse.
          Doubley so if it turns out many unrelated domains are owned by and point to the same webpage, and it’s just doing a js hostname thing to make it seem relevant to the current address

      • @TexasDrunk
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        32 months ago

        Yep. I have one registered for professional email. I don’t host anything else.

    • @TCB13
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      52 months ago

      I believe most regulated ccTLDs (not the ones sold to the higher bigger) actually do that.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 months ago

      I’ve been wanting a ccTLD domain that’s unused for a few years. The registrar suspended the domain (required contacts not updated) and put up a standard suspended notice, but doesn’t release the domain.

      I guess the owner is a domain squatter and keeps paying the bill, so the registrar keeps getting paid. Easy money