this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2024
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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

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 3 months ago (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 months ago (3 children)

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] 11 points 3 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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

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

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 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