Transferring Domains From NSI? 161
Dr.Doom asks: "So, the latest change to the service agreement by NSI is the last straw. I want to switch registrars, but I've heard some people say that NSI makes it very difficult to do so. My question is how can I do this with the least amount of trouble (and least amount of risk of losing my domains)?" There is some mention of the fact that NSI reserves the right to revoke a domain if it is to be transferred. Does anyone know how likely NSI is to do something like this? Is there any way to prevent it?
No Problem (Score:1)
http://www.domaindirect.com $24.95 to transfer (Score:1)
Domain Direct: (http://www.domaindirect.com/cgi-bin/info.cgi?sale sid=&ref=DDosrs00&do=transfer_domain) /P will transfer registrations for $24.95, that includes on the registraion, no bells and whistles.
The do domain parking and a bunch of other nifty things that many will not need. I'm changing my domains as the come up for renewal.
Re:NSI kills the little guy (Score:1)
Re:NSI kills the little guy (Score:1)
Re:Cost? (Score:1)
I think you should clarify this to be non-consensual sodomy...
Transfer of Registrars- explaining the process (Score:1)
(www.domainpeople.com) and a transfer of registrar is usually a painless ordeal.
You need to select a registrar of your choice and follow their procedures to transfer
your domain name to them. This usually involves filling out some kind of form and
then submitting the registrar a fee.
What happens next is usually a mystery to most. The registrar you are transferring to,
makes a request to the NSI Registry (where all domain names are registered and
pointed). The NSI Registry then emails the registrar you are leaving (in your case
NetSol) and lets them know a request for your domain name to be transferred has
been made. If NetSol has any objections, then they have to write back saying so, if
they agree to the transfer they have to write back indicating that as well. Now,
normally (and we all know NetSol doesn't follow the rules of normal) Netsol will let
the transfer take place if no moneys are owed to them for that domain name, nor are
there any pending disputes with the name. Having said all this, if the NSI registry
does not get an answer from the leaving registrar (NetSol) in 5 days, the transfer
goes ahead any ways. After it has been transferred- NetSol can send you notice
after notice for non payment, but it does not matter as you are under the
management of a different registrar.
Feel free to email me with any further questions you may have: info@domainpeople.com
DomainMonger.com (Score:1)
Companies that I've checked with (Score:1)
Julz (who you calling yella?)
I have done a little, really small, amount of research into this and the two companies that I have contacted will both do a transfer of a domain for you and can't see that there should be any problem with transferring domains from Internic, provided you're all paid up with Internic. All they need to do is change the registrar for the domain and charge you for 1 year plus they give you the balance remaining on the domain currently.
The two companies are JumpDomain [jumpdomain.com] and Gandi [gandi.net].
Gandi costs 12euro, about $12US per year and the transfer is free plus you get the credited for the balance of the domain. Gandi is also an accredited registrar with ICANN.
JumpDomain offers basically the same for $14.99US per year, except their conditions are a little less forgiving. You still own the domain though, unlike NSI. They are not an accredited registrar, but they use TUCOWS OpenSRS who apparently are and they say they are an RSP of TUCOWS.
I haven't transferred my domains as yet, as I'm waiting for some my information from Gandi about minimum transactions.
Hope this helps. :-)
Another reason to transfer! (Score:1)
Re:Wow, scary.. (Score:2)
reread that.
At the discretion of the losing registrar
that means, since NSI is the losing registrar (they are losing your business), they have the final say. Am I missing something?
Re:Does the "Evil NSI" really exist? (Score:2)
Heh heh... (Score:1)
I'm amused.
However, NSI does suck, their policies are evil and their business practices absurd. So I'm all for it; vote with your money, vote with your feet!
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate [ncsu.edu].
How long until they can revoke? (Score:1)
I wouldn't put anything past NSI at this point, and I think they may be quite likely to do things liek this until a court rules against it.
The problem is, if it's in the contract you agreed to that they can, then they may be able to get away with it, legally.
On the other hand, when did this provision get added? Was it just with this recent batch of insanely restrictive rules that it was added? Because if so, I beleive several states require that any added provisions to an existing contract be given a 30-90 day time period during which you can object to added provisions. If you object to them, then they are required to fulfill the contract under the current terms or end the contract after the 30-90 day period.
I'm not positive about how these laws work, but this is what I've gathered from the companies I've done business with.
Can any lawyers out there clarify or expand on this?
Could we make a competing top-level domain? (Score:1)
Of course, that would almost certainly mean name reolution would only work for people using the same server...
But what the hell, I'm game. Let's start a second TLD based on principles of truth, justice, OSS, GNU, and the American Way. (by which I mean not the OSI way)
I'll make suckers who use OSI remember my raw IP address.
Re:Use OpenSRS (Score:1)
Re:speechless (Score:1)
From dotster's terms [dotster.com]: Dotster may modify the Dispute Policy at its sole discretion at any time. Your continued use of the domain name registered to you after any such Dispute Policy modification shall constitute your acceptance of this Agreement and the modified Dispute Policy... You further agree and acknowledge that Dotster may make publicly available, or directly available to third party vendors, some, or all, of the domain name registration information you provide, for purposes of inspection or for targeted marketing...You also agree that Dotster shall have the right in its sole discretion to suspend, cancel, transfer or otherwise modify a domain name registration upon seven (7) calendar days prior written notice and after such time as Dotster receives a properly authenticated order from a court of competent jurisdiction, or arbitration award, requiring the suspension, cancellation, transfer or modification of the domain name registration.
From processing innovations' [archer.net]: By using the Services under this Agreement, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to be bound by all terms and conditions of this Agreement and any pertinent rules or policies that are or may be published by us...You agree, during the period of this Agreement, that we may: (1) revise the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and (2) change the services provided under this Agreement. Any such revision or change will be binding and effective immediately on posting of the revised Agreement or change to the service(s) on our web site, or on notification to you by e-mail or regular mail as per the Notices section of this agreement, Section 20. You agree to review our web site, including the Agreement, periodically to be aware of any such revisions....You agree that we may, in our sole discretion, delete or transfer your domain name at any time.
Re:http://www.domaindirect.com $24.95 to transfer (Score:1)
Re:Cost? (Score:2)
Re:Cost? (Score:4)
What I'd want out of a registrar, based on our experiences sofar, would be:
Re:No Problem (Score:1)
Re:What happens to NSI now... (Score:1)
That's 'CC', as in Clear Channel Communications; the broadcasting people? Betcha it was a CC radio station you heard the spot on; a buddy of mine is a sales rep for one, and informs me that CCC is the parent of the company registering those domains for the Cocos and Keeling Islands.
Cheers,
-- jra
-----
Re:What happens to NSI now... (Score:4)
NSI runs the master registry database. A version of the agreement [icann.org] can be found on the icann website [icann.org] but even further digging there will even show the exact amounts NSI gets from the Dept of Commerce and from the registrars for running the registry and which bank accounts to use for payments.
A very interesting conflict of interest could arise between the role of Network Solutions as database keeper and Network Solutions as competing registrar although the contracts try to close any holes.
I found this yesterday as I was digging for "when does an expired domain become available again" which isn't answered by NSI or ICANN at all.
Depends On When You Registered (Score:4)
I don't have a credit card unfortunately, but I'm going to see if I can get my webhost or someone else to transfer my domains as soon as possible. I'm fed-up with NSI and all the problems I've seen them cause people I know. It's rediculous that something so simple should be so complex.
NSI acts as if they're god's gift to the internet and hopefully they'll find themselves bending over to AOL as just another luser concept that only people with AOL accounts would bother to use. NSI and AOL deserve each other.
---
icq:2057699
seumas.com
Registerfree.com Screws All (Score:1)
On April 29th I got this e-mail from Registerfree since I had signed up to be notified of more free domain periods:
RegisterFREE, in our attempt to make all domain name registrations free, intends to offer FREE DOMAIN REGISTRATION for 5 to 20 minutes AT LEAST ONCE every day for 30 days, starting today. Because you asked to be notified of our next promotion, we are notifying you before the general public. We will offer two ten minute FREE periods between 6 p.m. (US eastern daylight time) Saturday, April 29, 2000 and 6 p.m. Sunday, April 30, 2000. RegisterFREE was the first to offer FREE domain registrations on the Internet. During our first FREE promotion hundreds of thousands showed up at our site and we gave away more than 5000 domains. To give everyone an opportunity this time we're doing it differently. We are not giving the exact time of the free promotion, but instead we're promising that we'll give away domains at random intervals EVERYDAY.
Now, I was very impressed by this move, as I was one of those frustrated by not being able to get to their site the first time. I was also lucky enough to catch one of these first periods of free domain registrations. Immediatly after filling out the form I received an e-mail which said the domain will be registered, gave me a key to change my info for it, and said it should show up in the whois database in a few days. A few friends of mine also filled out the forms to get their free domains.
That was two weeks ago. I still don't have my free domain. It never showed up in the whois database, my key to edit the info doesn't work, and my friends haven't gotten their either. They also stopped having free periods after the first few days. My one friend e-mailed them and they claimed they had no record of his domain registration. My e-mails have gone unanswered.
The shoddy service I've received from registerfree, which is supposed to help win them customers has only convinced me further to never use their services.
Does anyone else have any insight into this matter?
Has anyone gotten any free domains?
Could this go as to constitute false advertising?
Thanks in advance
--- May this post be indexed by spiders, and archived for all to see as my internet epitaph.
Re:Registerfree.com Screws All (Score:1)
Did you use a different URL than the main one to get your domains with their current free period?!? What gives?
--- May this post be indexed by spiders, and archived for all to see as my internet epitaph.
Re:same way you stop any corp... (Score:2)
IANAL, just a basically honest guy, so what puzzles me about the whole contraversy is how the laws of Virginia affect an interstate (or in some cases, international) commercial transaction?
I figure that if Federal Law (or the laws of another sovereign nation) say that a domain name is the IP of the registered party, then this pre-empts anything NSI attempts to assert.
It's fascinating to consider how corporations cry & wail over the theft of their IP, while at the same time they are stealing it from other people . . .
Geoff
Anyone know about Gandi? (Score:1)
old contract (Score:1)
It simple, or it can be simple (Score:5)
They want your business and most are happy to do it. I just did this myself a few weeks ago and switched from NSI to DomainDiscover.com [domaindiscover.com]. All in all, it was a pleasant, painless experience. DomainDiscover doesn't charge a transfer fee, but has you instead sign up for an additional year through them for $30 USD. They honor the rest of the time you had on NSI's contract.
Re:On a similar note... (Score:1)
Re:Use OpenSRS (Score:1)
Re:speechless (Score:1)
Here's what I imagine: Extend bind to send any request for a domain not ending in /\.(com|edu|org|biz|??)$/ to the "geek" root server(s).
This reminds me of name.space [namespace.org]. Anyone here remember when Eugene from AlterNIC made netsol.com point to AlterNIC.net? Remember when he went on the lam?
There was a time when any time of the day, I would check my mailbox, and Karl Denninger from MCS would've fired off the latest salvo in his continuing argument with some guy name Perry from... ICANN'T remember. And now AlterNIC and eDNS.net are both gone. But name.space soldiers on... for what that's worth.
Re:Does the "Evil NSI" really exist? (Score:2)
1. Try and make a domain name change via an email template. Did it work? Did you have to wait a couple days to see if the change went live? Now try making the same change with almost every other register via an https form. Notice the simplicity, and instant feedback. What kind of company (other than an evil one) would put you through such email template hell when cheaper, more customer-oriented alternatives exist?
2. Try and resolve a change request failure with NSI via email. Notice that aside from the automated response, you never receive a reply.
3. Try and find NSI's customer service number on their web page. How long did it take you? When you call the number, is it constantly busy so that you don't even get the pleasure of being put on hold for 30 minutes? When you have to call the number a month later on a different issue, is it still busy? how about 1 year? Bonus points if you can say exactly why NSI can't increase their phone support capability despite knowing that it is woefully inadequate for years.
4. How much did you pay for your domain name for NSI? Was it marked up 200% from what competing registrars charge?
Here's my favourite bit of NSI hell.. Although you may not be able to replicate it as readily as the others. One of the domains in good standing that I administered at the time (mprint.com) was suddenly, without warning, transfered to a different owner. That owner then pointed their name servers to match our original ones, presumably so we would not notice the change of ownership. They screwed up a bit, however, and we found out. Imagine my surpise when we finally tracked down a network problem to the domain name registration information being wrong! When pressed for information network solutions said that they had a "golden agreement" with the ISP that took our domain name away, and that they make changes for that ISP without proven authorization. Luckily the domain name was given back to us because the ISP claimed it had been taken "in error". The whole situation was really fishy, however.
So, who *wouldn't* want to transfer their domain name away from this greedy, kafka-esque bureaucracy that has not concept whatsoever of customer service?
-OT
What About Trademarks? (Score:1)
SRS requires NSI to transfer on request. (Score:1)
There is some mention of the fact that NSI reserves the right to revoke a domain if it is to be transferred. Does anyone know how likely NSI is to do something like this? Is there any way to prevent it?
This can be answered very simply, and your spreading panic isn't helping one bit. ICANN developed the Shared Registration System [doc.gov] with two features explicitly included:
If NSI tried to take back a domain just because you requested a transfer, they would not only be subject to a lengthy and expensive lawsuit, they could be removed as a registrar by ICANN.
Don't spread foolish rumors. This is just a waste of time. Slashdot staffers should know better, for pete's sake.
On the other hand, I suppose it's great entertainment seeing how many teenage slashdotters can dance on their pinheads.
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ICANN is international (Score:2)
Under ICANN any qualifying company can become a domain registrar, and scores have already. This is intended to provide competition in the domain registry marketplace, and it clearly has.
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Re:I think Congress already addressed this... (Score:2)
The bill was S.1948 [loc.gov] (read Title III) and passed as an amendment to other legislation.
NSI revoking the domain simply because you decided to go elsewhere (and had plenty of time left on your existing legitimate registration) would violate several areas of law
Indeed, which is why they're required by ICANN policy [doc.gov] to transfer it to your chosen registrar on your request. If they were to violate this, they could be booted as a registrar, apart from any other legal considerations. Domain transfer is a built-in feature of the SRS (shared registration system), which many of the knee-jerkers on Slashdot don't seem to know or care.
Think about this -- what would happen if NSI claimed ownership of Microsoft's or Yahoo's or Altavista's domain name? The intellectual-property lawyers would be all over them in seconds! The name itself has got to be the intellectual property of the company.
NSI was not claiming the intellectual property rights; these two rulings were not addressing the question of whether the company or NSI owned the rights to the domain. They were about whether a domain name is subject to certain property laws such as garnishment (Virginia) or registrar liability (California). They haven't really addressed the issue of whether John Smith or Mary Jones or Widgets, Inc. "owns" a domain name; if anything, the judges and ICANN have all tiptoed around this question. The judge in California practically begged Congress to pass a law settling the question for once and for all.
Guess who Congress would side with on that one?
Anyone up to putting a RFC together? (And subsequently stuffing it down ICANN's throat?)
An RFC for what? Are you sure the things you want aren't already in place? In any case, this has already moved far beyond the capability of the net to "legislate" and well into the realm of intellectual property law. That RFC wouldn't be worth the paper it is (not) printed on; one lawsuit could blow it away like so much lint.
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ICANN registrar transfer rules (Score:2)
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Re:same way you stop any corp... (Score:2)
IANAL, just a basically honest guy, so what puzzles me about the whole contraversy is how the laws of Virginia affect an interstate (or in some cases, international) commercial transaction?
In the main, because Network Solutions is a corporation domiciled in the Commonwealth of Virginia. You generally have to sue a person or corporation where they "live". Secondarily, because the NSI contract [networksolutions.com] specifies that Fairfax County is the jurisdiction of choice for issues relating to their contract. (This is normal for contracts, IIRC.)
I figure that if Federal Law (or the laws of another sovereign nation) say that a domain name is the IP of the registered party, then this pre-empts anything NSI attempts to assert.
Actually, federal law does not state that a domain name is the IP of the registered party. A domain name that is similar to a trademark is subject to certain rules, but under federal law, a domain name is not yet explicitly intellectual property in and of itself.
Besides, the rulings in question did not, repeat not, address whether NSI "owns" the name or the trademark, only whether the domain name was "property" for legal purposes of liability (i.e. like when you sue your neighbor to return your hedge-trimmer).
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Re:Cost? (Register.com) (Score:1)
This is part of the ICANN/NSI negotiated settlement. When a domain is transferred between registrars a year is tacked onto the term of the registration to a max of ten years.
Re:P.S.:Use OpenSRS (Score:1)
It used to be $9 wayyy back - it was dropped to $6 some time ago.
Re:Cost? (Score:2)
A much friendlier version of this agreement will be available and in force this week - the basic changes will most certainly meet your requirements as noted...
Re:Use OpenSRS (Score:3)
To your first point...check out What Is...spamdexing (a definition) [whatis.com]...I have a hard time believing that our use of metatags qualifies as spamdexing.
To your second point, it's actually Times New Roman exclusively.
It's not pretty, but it is full of content and conforms to a reasonable estimation of standardized HTML (with the exception of some lame font elements in a list item array). If it matters, it has less than 1/2 of the standardized design problems of our competitors...
Any ratings of alternate registrars? (Score:1)
Is there such a report?
-jason
Does the "Evil NSI" really exist? (Score:4)
Sure, they yank domains from cybersquatters, because otherwise it'd be impossible to control the costs of doing business on the Internet. What makes a cybersquatter less reprehensible than a company that is just trying to serve the needs of the majority of their customers?
NSI has made a couple of big mistakes, and they've been crippled by Jon's death. But they are not the evil moneygrubbers the propaganda makes them out to be. In fact, for years they didn't even charge for domains despite having the legal right to do so.
What exactly are the motivations of the people who insist that they are evil? I don't see the AlterNIC guys in the headlines too often anymore... are they mad that nobody paid any attention to them, or something? They had good ideas but poor public relations, it seems to me.
--Charlie
The flaw in NSI's cunning plan. (Score:1)
Princess Leia: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
Grand Moff Tarkin: Fear will keep those systems in line, fear of this battle station.
Lawsute potental (Score:2)
If NSI resold the domain or held on to the domain in some way instead of honnering a transfer the domain holder would have grounds to sue.
Such a case would not be cut and dry.
It would be nessisary to prove that NSI acted in responce to the domain transfer.
It would be nessisary to prove that the domain transfer request releases the domain holder from NSIs contract.
NSI would have to prove that they in revoking the domain did act within the bounds of the contract and what they did was not wholesale theft.
There is also the whole trademark issue that may enter into the picture of the domain holder owns the trademark to his/her domain.
It wouldn't be a cut and dry case and there would be much image bloodshead (trashing of each other).
I would hope this alone would give NSI pause before trying something like this.
Sadly I suspect if NSI dose pull this the first few victoms won't be able to sue.
If however something happend to Microsoft.com.... Microsoft has enough image scars to act as armor for an NSI vs Microsoft lawsute....
Jumpdomain (Score:3)
Or, for that matter, has anyone out there every used jumpdomain to transfer off of NSI?
/GUINEA PIG MODE ON
Re:Ok, where's a list of OpenSRS Affiliates? (Score:1)
www.volumehost.com
$25 for 1 year or
$20 for 2+ years
www.volumehost.com $20/yr for transfers (Score:1)
$25/yr for new/transfer domain
$20/yr for 2 or more years
Re:Depends On When You Registered (Score:1)
I am not affiliated with JHCloos, other than being a happy customer, but if you click on that E-gold link, I'll get some of the profits that E-gold would otherwise get (but no more outta your pocket). If you really hate that thought, use this: http://www.e-gold.com
Cost? (Score:2)
--
Register.com (Score:1)
Re:more coffee for you (Score:1)
My boss.. :( (Score:1)
Then a few days ago my boss lets me know he registered a bunch more domain names. I ask what registrar he used. He tells me NSI.
Me: "WHY? They charge $70!"
Boss: "But they are an AMERICAN company! I trust them! Not some silly kid web site in Europe
*sigh*
Any ideas on what I can do? Persuading him to let me transfer a bunch of domains isn't going to be an easy task, especially from grand ol' american NSI.
Keep your contact clean. (Score:2)
1) Who is the domain registered TO? (not the contacts; the actual registrant)
2) Who are the contacts?
If at least one of these are you, you should have no problems modifying the registration.
If the contacts are generic role accounts at youre previous employer (so you can't modify them) and the domain is registered to some BS company you made up.. you might have trouble.
Confusion (Score:2)
Re:Cost? (Score:1)
Regarding your request #3, you should read our Privacy Policy [domaingeeks.com].
Re:Cost? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Does the "Evil NSI" really exist? (Score:1)
In the end, what bothers me most about NSI is the amazing uselessness of their customer interface (both automated and human (not that's I've ever managed to get a response from a human.)) Their contract terms are less then steller, but the real problem is that the only thing that really works on their system seems to be the DNS servers and the system that charges your credit card. God help you if you want to make a change to your domain.
Re:Cause a run on the bank (Score:2)
All the obvious legal issues aside, I would imagine that the bank would start losing customers pretty fast and probably wouldn't get much new business.
Everyone on this site is complaining about that clause but I haven't heard of one actual report of NSI taking away a domain name for their own use or to sell to someone else. The simple reason is because it would be bad business practice. People transfer domain names every day, some of them worth lots and lots of money, and NSI doesn't stop any of it from happening.
That clause is just legal backspeak to protect their asses. Everyone needs to calm down.
LL
Re:How do I know which Resigtrar I have my domains (Score:1)
whois domain@whois.networksolutions.net
Possibly dangerous, but... (Score:1)
Re:Possibly dangerous, but... (Score:1)
Re:Possibly dangerous, but... (Score:1)
Re:What happens to NSI now... (Score:1)
This action should have dispelled any notion you had that NSI will avoid an action because it makes them look like doddering morons. Really.
.02
My
Quux26
more coffee for you (Score:1)
Are you entirely missing the point here?? NSI cannot be responsible for your losses because they're saying the domain isn't yours in the first place. They can - and are - doing damage to people's businesses and the courts are backing them (read: Sex.com).
Yeesh.
.02
My
Quux26
Amazon - Domain Registrar parallel (Score:1)
What I do mind is when Amazon sues Barnes & Noble. This is offensive rather than defensive. In the same light, I take umbrage when NSI uses such tactics to screw the original owner of Sex.com and positions themselves to do it in the future.
Subtle, but quite different.
.02
My
Quux26
eh? (Score:1)
A road is seen as property. NSI is claiming that your domain is more akin to a phone number. They are claiming - and the courts are backing them up - that you can't lose something that you don't own. This means that any losses aren't their responsibility.
This isn't a hypothetical, this is occuring as I type this. Which part of this do you disagree with??
Yeesh.
.02
My
Quux26
speechless (Score:5)
I'd say this calls for a Stallman-esque boycot of NSI. Find out about places like dotster.com [dotster.com] or processing innovations [archer.net] (I have a domain registered with each). This is absolute bull****, and I'm sorry to see the community diving for shelter. How many /. readers sit in a position to select which registrars their company uses? Just a few, I'd guess...
.02
My
Quux26
Switch to DomainDiscover / TierraNet (Score:2)
It is sad really. I've been admining Internet domains for so long that my InterNIC handle is just my initials (TDP) with no numbers in it. It is painful to see the system corrupted and twisted in this way.
Thad
Discretion of the losing registrar... (Score:4)
Network Solutions could refuse to transfer domains to other registrars, but if they do for many institutions, they risk being audited by the government for refusing to give up their government instituted monopoly. ie, bad news for NSI, they are out of the 'give us free money' business of being a registrar.
But, if you never try, you'll never find out, will you? I know many people that have transfered domains around with no problems. But, how they react to a mass exodus, we'll see.
--
Gonzo Granzeau
Wow, scary.. (Score:5)
Okay a couple steps for Register.com [register.com], my current domain registrar choice.
1. Get the PDF form [register.com]. There is a web based version here [register.com], but it prints worse.
2. Fill it out
3. Get a photocopy of your drivers license or something and have it notorized.
4. Fax it or mail it. It takes around 3-4 days.
NSI can only block you if:
- The transfer request was initiated within the first 60 days of the original registration date
- There is a dispute over the domain name
- There is a pending bankruptcy of the domain name holder
- There is a dispute over the identity of the domain name holder
- At the discretion of the losing registrar
So be careful of the last clause. In theory, they are only shooting themselves in the foot, and the legal notification to change should hold up in court. and of course, the implied IANAL.I garnered all this info from the Register.com [register.com] help [register.com] pages in preperations for my domain transfer today. Also, I've been quite happy with Register.com's hosting so far, so this is all IMHO.
--
Gonzo Granzeau
I think Congress already addressed this... (Score:2)
NSI revoking the domain simply because you decided to go elsewhere (and had plenty of time left on your existing legitimate registration) would violate several areas of law (IMHO/IANAL):
- Restraint of trade against you (they're taking away your ability to do business!)
- Monopoly-level restraint of trade against the other domain registrars (Keeping them from attracting existing domains -- Microsoft would be proud and Janet Reno would come running!)
- Cyber-Squatting (intent to sell a trademarked/copyrighted domain for a profit -- you did remember to trademark it, right?)
Think about this -- what would happen if NSI claimed ownership of Microsoft's or Yahoo's or Altavista's domain name? The intellectual-property lawyers would be all over them in seconds! The name itself has got to be the intellectual property of the company. Like a thousand people have pointed out before me, all you're paying NSI to do is- make sure there's only one of each name,
- associate that name with an IP address,
- and make that database reliably available to ISPs everywhere!
Simple enough, right? Now, all you need is the cash reserves to have a pack of rabid lawyers at the ready! Good luck -- there has to be a better way to do things like this.Anyone up to putting a RFC together? (And subsequently stuffing it down ICANN's throat?)
_ ______________
_________________________________________________
Ever notice that MCSEs advertise the fact, but Sun & Novell certified people don't?
Moving one or two is OK, but thousands? (Score:2)
It may be one thing to reassign one or two
domains, but as an IPP, what could we really do
to change things and go with a new provider
without sticking ourselves or our clients with
a huge bill. I've been waiting on the phone
for many hours trying to reach a NSI staffer
for various domain problems, and many times I've
thought that it would be great to have a choice.
Still, organizing and executing such a move without disruption to our clients would be a
nightmare undertaking. What we need is a
stable, reliable registrar with tools to help
us with many domains simultaneously. Any thoughts?
-Gary
Digital Marketing Inc. og@digimark.net
http://www.digimark.net/
Re:Use OpenSRS (Score:3)
-Rusty
Re:Cause a run on the bank (Score:2)
Here [newhavensavingsbank.com] is a Depost Account Contract. Read it carefully.
In short, once you give it to the bank, the bank owns it.
Re:Jumpdomain (Score:2)
You agree that we may, in our sole discretion, delete or transfer your domain name at any time.
Um....I don't think so.
Re:NSI kills the little guy (Score:2)
What do you expect from people who call everything a "web address"? They are starting to become as stupidly greedy as Micro$oft.
Re:What happens to NSI now... (Score:2)
Business will drop dramatically from those who know what they are doing.
Slight problem. Of the people who register domains, how many "know what they are doing?"
For example, here in Central Ohio, there have been radio ads for Spot.cc which lets you reserve domain names in the *.cc domain. Unfortunately, they don't mention that you could (a) loose your domain name if it's trademarked or that (b) you're actually paying more than if you registered through NSI.
A lot of people have gone ahead and registered domain names that probably won't be worth very much. Ah well...
Re:Any ratings of alternate registrars? (Score:2)
Re:http://www.domaindirect.com $24.95 to transfer (Score:2)
P.S.:Use OpenSRS (Score:2)
It's probably easier to find an OpenSRS affiliate to handle your domains for you than to become a new affiliate, unless you have hundreds of domains yourself. It was fairly painless for us, but requires a lot of setup and back-and-forth with the OpenSRS people so takes at least a few days, maybe as long as a couple of weeks.
-=-=-=-=-
Use OpenSRS (Score:5)
Either try to contact the OpenSRS people directly about becoming an affiliate, or otherwise try to contact an OpenSRS affiliate to handle your domains for you.
-=-=-=-=-
NSI kills the little guy (Score:2)
Sometimes I wonder (Score:2)
Sometimes I wonder if people here read nothing but Slashdot. The worldview of 3/4ths of the posters here are so divorced from reality that a tremendous amount of intellectual potential is really going to waste. It pains me to see so many otherwise smart people getting whipped up into such frenzies over non-issues like this.
NSI is not going to "lose" valuable domains and re-sell them just because it's in the subscription agreement that they own your domain. I love the fact that every other registrar under the sun uses almost the same exact language and yet people excuse it because "so-and-so's not NSI." I sympathize with dislike of Network Solutions, they're a typical pain-in-the-ass monopoly company, just like the phone company.
Try sometime reading the terms of your bank account, credit cards, brokerage account, driver's license, or AAA membership, and you will likely be "shocked." Everybody who writes agreements goes to their utmost length to insert such "Cover My Ass" statements so they have some legal recourse in extraordinary circumstances.
I will readily retract and apologize for these statements if NSI does start pulling systematic monkey business with domains, but I'm not afraid b/c it isn't going to happen. Spend some time outside of Slashdot, get some fresh air, and stop making mountains out of nothing.
-cwk.
Re:Depends On When You Registered (Score:4)
Read Section 6, "Modification to the Agreement," of NSI's domain service agreement. It's your standard-issue God clause that says they can change the terms of the agreement anytime they want.
The best part is: You've agreed to it. You're damned if you do...
It's always been in there (to my knowledge, and I would assume they're pretty smart about screwing the little guy), so they can always get away away with it. ISPs do the same thing, typically.
On a similar note... (Score:2)
List of OpenSRS resellers (Score:2)
Someone above asked for a List of OpenSRS affiliates (i.e. resellers). I have been trying to do the same, but never could get such a list, despite extensive searches.
Note that the Domain Name Buyers Guide [domainname...sguide.com] does not cover any OpenSRS affiliate yet.
Last week, I decided to ask OpenSRS [opensrs.org] themselves, and opened a sales ticket and a support ticket. The support guy gave me the usual run around ("Our reseller list is confidential", "we cannot release such info", "try a web search").
The sales person was more helpful and gave me a list of five resellers:
- http://www.nal.qc.ca [nal.qc.ca]
- http://www.msnhosting.com [msnhosting.com]
- http://internationalwebhostingservices.c om [internatio...rvices.com]
- http://www.islelink.com [islelink.com]
- http://www.msquaredweb.net [msquaredweb.net]
I checked them out, but none of them seemed exceptionally cheap or impressive.Independantly, I tried searching for such info myself. Here is what I found:
- JumpDomain [jumpdomain.com] 14.99$ a year.
- DiscountDomainRegistry [discountdo...gistry.com] 14.99$ a year.
- DomainMonger [domainmonger.com] 17$ a year.
- Processing Innovations [archer.net] 15$ a year. I am not sure if they are OpenSRS or not. Some (see above) have objected to their agreement, since they can terminate the domain,
...etc. - Domains JH Cloos [hjcloos.net]
- . Again not sure if he is OpenSRS or not. He offers domains for 12.50$. You cannot pay by credit card and need
- e-gold [e-gold.com].
All of them provide online domain transfer from NSI or from other registrars.In case you are wondering, if your reseller goes out of business (many of them are small operations or a one-man-shows), then OpenSRS will be the registrar. The sales person told me they would help me find another registrar should this happen.
I am willing to maintain a list of OpenSRS resllers that offer cheap (20$ or less per year) domain registrations. If you find more, please let me know. You can contact me via the web site above or via 2bits.com [2bits.com] (fill a contact form) or you can e-mail me at khalidATbaheyeldinDOTcom.
As a related issue, I have been looking for a PHP port of the OpenSRS library (Yeah, I am a Perl-Hater!), so I can implement it myself, shell out the 250$ minimum needed for being an Open SRS reseller, then I can provide domain registry for friends, family and clients. However, there is no such port planned by OpenSRS.org, and one reseller (forget which one) has a library that is working in every aspect except the encryption stuff.
Re:Does the "Evil NSI" really exist? (Score:2)
The scary part is, I did get a response from a human -- after some of my changes not only failed but bungled my records further, I finally called them. Told them (truthfully) I was Administrative Contact for the domain. They found the changes (hung up on authorization), and completed them. Now, any system that is so hopelessly bungled that I am grateful for this insane lapse in security, and then has the gall to charge me a 90 percent markup or so, doesn't deserve to profit -- and probably wouldn't unless it chose to resort to anticompetitive measures. At least back in the early days of the NSF's transfer to them, their collection department was also too screwed up to enforce timely payments.
Re: No Problem with GoodbyeNSI and Tita-nic (Score:2)
it is very easy to switch. NSI engineered these fears. it is pure manipulation.
the risk is far greater if you stay.
Use any OpenSRS [opensrs.net] registrar for easy fast and safe transfers:
the one you find on Tita-nic.com [tita-nic.com] for example is very good.
please don't pay more then 11 - 15$ per domain per year.
we pledge to track any abuse by NSI you report to us.
we will publicize it widely. KeepYourDomain [keepyourdomain.com]
>How do I know which Resistrar I have my domains with ?
on Tita-nic.com [tita-nic.com] push "who owns/whois",
search for your domain, then see: "Server used for this query:"
for any transfer, it is not necessary to know.
just get the transfer done with a few clicks
and have the domain for a full additional year
on a safe place within 5 days. [tita-nic.com]
Cause a run on the bank (Score:5)
Imagine if your bank were to declare that your deposits with them were not physical, but electronic, and as such were merely forms of information that were the product of your contract with the bank. Therefore, they actually owned your money, allowing you to use it at their "sole discretion", and if you tried to move it to another bank, they had no legal responsibility if the "information" somehow ended up in the hands of a third party.
I would guess that if this move got out, there would be a run on the bank. That's exactly what should happen to NSI as well as any other institution that claims ownership of something I deposit with them for a fee.
I suggest that we generate a Slashdot effect on NSI by getting the word out anyway we can, to everyone who will listen, hopefully causing a run on this "bank".
NSI would then either have to publicly change its policy, or publicly explain its unchanged policy. The latter would probably put them out of business as all the folks in the world who give computer advice decided en masse to advise against NSI. Either way, it would make news.
All eyes would be on them, with the press sniffing around for stories of NSI "losing" domains that were transferred away from them, probably making them much more careful. At the same time, there would probably be a few large organizations willing to combine their legal resources in a bid to stop NSI. After all, NSI isn't just setting its own policies, it's setting precedents -- precedents that organizations with billions in intellectual property and large legal departments wouldn't want set.
This approach is about the only way I can think of to increase our likelihood, as small fish ourselves, of maintaining possession of our hard-won domain names in the face of this sort of outrageous behavior.
Re:Use OpenSRS (Score:2)
my transfers went fine (Score:2)
Re:What happens to NSI now... (Score:2)
Well, looked it up and it won't be long depending on a couple of things:
23. Expiration of this Agreement. The Expiration Date shall be four years after the Effective Date, unless extended as provided below. In the event that NSI completes the legal separation of ownership of its Registry Services business from its registrar business by divesting all the assets and operations of one of those businesses within 18 months after Effective Date to an unaffiliated third party that enters an agreement enforceable by ICANN and the Department of Commerce (i) not to be both a registry and a registrar in the Registry TLDs, and (ii) not to control, own or have as an affiliate any individual(s) or entity(ies) that, collectively, act as both a registry and a registrar in the Registry TLDs, the Expiration Date shall be extended for an additional four years, resulting in a total term of eight years. For the purposes of this Section, "unaffiliated third party" means any entity in which NSI (including its successors and assigns, subsidiaries and divisions, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives) does not have majority equity ownership or the ability to exercise managerial or operational control, either directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries. "Control," as used in this Section 23, means any of the following: (1) ownership, directly or indirectly, or other interest entitling NSI to exercise in the aggregate 25% or more of the voting power of an entity; (2) the power, directly or indirectly, to elect 25% or more of the board of directors (or equivalent governing body) of an entity; or (3) the ability, directly or indirectly, to direct or cause the direction of the management, operations, or policies of an entity.
What happens to NSI now... (Score:5)
Business will drop dramatically from those who know what they are doing.
Eventually this drop in business will effect them so much that they will consider repealing this new clause to their contract.
Due to their way-too-big egos, they will not repeal it for fear of looking like idiots (too late).
To make up for lost revenue, they will start taking popular domains away for frivilous reasons. A few hell.coms auctioned off here and there and they make up quite a bit of money.
If people haven't moved away from Network Solutions yet, they will now.
Pretty soon Network Solutions won't have any domains left and will go bankrupt unless they decide to fess up and give in (fat chance).
Re:Does the "Evil NSI" really exist? (Score:2)
--Fzz
Re:What happens to NSI now... (Score:4)
NSI - Domain Transfers (Score:2)
NSI now has basically made this impossible for me, because I do not hold any contacts with my previous employer now, and they want someone with "Authority" within the current registrant.
I think these policies blow! My address is wrong on the domain, I recently moved so I cannot have forms mailed to my current address, because it is not listed anywhere on the current domain agreement.
Does anyone know what I can do? I do not like the fact that my previous employer has full control of my domain. I cannot have them change it because I quit on the "not so best of terms".