Domain registration

Associate
Joined
7 Nov 2005
Posts
728
Location
Southampton, UK
Hi,

My local doctors surgery has let their domain registration run out, I checked the records about 3 months ago and it did indeed expire, and is now replaced by a "this domain is for sale" site.

My question is, if I were to buy that domain, would I be able to sell it back to them? Would this actually be cyber squatting, and so they'd be able to take it off be in course?

P.S. I'm not actually going to do it but it's an interesting discussion.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
31 Jan 2004
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16,335
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Plymouth
Cybersquatting is frowned upon and they may well challenge your ownership of the domain if you're obviously just sitting on it to hope to make cash, and they'd probably win and get the domain.

However if you were genuinly using the domain for your own work and don't try and sell it to them, and it's not a trademark, then there's not a lot they can do.
 

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Soldato
Joined
9 Nov 2004
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15,365
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SO16
:( cybersquatting could actually be one of the most annoying things on the net, after nigeria scams, internet explorer and winfixer. it's just so underhand, but i guess that's how people go about things nowadays to make some cash.

like Mr Beansprout said, if you have a legitimate use for the domain name, then buy it - if not, it'd be nice to inform them so they can renew it. You could buy it, make their website looks awesome, and give it to them as a birthday present :)
 
Soldato
Joined
4 Mar 2003
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12,449
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Chatteris
Cyber Squatting is a much over-used term and only in very few occasions is that term actually valid.
It is a term a lot of people use when they find out that "all the good" domain names have unfortunately already gone - very similar to wanting to buy a house that somebody already owns.

If I want a domain name and it has already gone, listed as registered yet there is no website this is not cyber squatting.
There are a hundred and one uses for a domain name (OK, maybe not 101 - but a web site isn't the only thing).
A domain name can be registered for e-mail use only, ftp use only, name server use only etc.
So if you see a domain you like that is taken and there is no website or just a generic holding page this is not cyber squatting.

Buying a domain name and then offering it for sale is not cyber squatting - it is simply good business sense.
We can all say "I wish I'd registered such and such domain" - at the current selling prices business.com & sex.com would have been two I'd have liked to own.
So if the domain name for your small business is taken and once again the domain doesn't appear to be in use or is redirected to a "For Sale" page this is no different to me buying a house and then next year me selling that same house for a profit.
Maybe I want to keep the house for a few years first and then sell it.
This is good business sense - not cyber squatting.

What is Cyber Squatting is the purchasing of a domain name with the sole intention of selling it on to one particular or one of a small number of people when you have no real rights to the domain name in question.
Lets just use a random example - intel.com
Lets say the domain name is available to register/buy.
Now this is a well known worldwide company trademark.
I don't own a business called intel, nor do I really have any right to that domain via my own name, I'm not Mr. Intel.
I might just decide I like the name intel.com and if Intel Corp decided to take it to court that would really be my only argument.
If I go ahead and register intel.com and use it purely as a personal site because I liked the name I could argue and I may even get the opportunity to say to Intel "Look, I like the name, but lets talk".

Cyber Squatting would be if I went out and bought intel.com and then immediately e-mailed Intel Corp told them what I'd done and say the domain is there's for £100,000 or whatever figure I put on it.
My sole intention was to make money from Intel Corp and so the domain was registered in bad faith.
There is a very high chance that should Intel then take this to court I'd have the domain taken off me - I wouldn't even get the registration fee back.
That is why when a new TLD or COuntry TLD appears the likes of Microsoft, Intel tend not to even bother registering the domain name these days as nobody is going to take the domain as there is only one reason they would - to make money, and so it's a bad faith registration.

WHat you've basically proposed is a bad faith registration.
You've got no real want for the name.
It doesn't sound like it is a particularly good name (or else it would be in use and not listed as "For Sale".)
You've got no prior right to the name - you thinking about purely making some money from one particular location.
Anything to stop you? No
Would it work? Unlikely.
The surgery in question may not want it, they may find an alternative domain name and if they could be bothered they could complain to the registry looking after that particular domain tail and ask that it be given back to them.
 
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