Domain Names are much like business names:
- Nothing physical is owned
- Registration is a license to use the name for a limited period
- The license expires periodically and requires renewal before expiry
- Each domain type (TLD) has different rules for licensing and renewals
- Domain name registration are not associated with trademarks
And a little different:
- Domains are managed by a hierarchy of private as well as government organisations
- Domain name reseller are commercial and will let your domain expire without payment
- Not all domain names are associated to a location (country)
- New domain types (TLD) are released regularly (for example .fish)
Are your domains registered correctly?
Your domain name is a valuable asset to your organisation, equal to a business name or trademark. Domain names sell for hundreds of thousand dollars. There is a huge global market for valuable domains. We often find that reputable IT companies and website service providers record themselves as the owner (registrant). We consider this a serious breach of trust. Your domain names must be registered using your name and your email as the registrant. We recommend that you do not use an email address associated with the domain name itself. We suggest a free email address (outlook.com or gmail.com) that you specifically use for online administration. We regularly assist domain name owners correct their registration.
How to check if you are the registered owner?
Each type of domain name (TLD) is managed by a different hierarchy of private and government organisations. We cannot provide them all here. However, the mechanism that checks ownership is usually called “whois” and we suggest you search online for you domain authority (for example search “.com TLD whois”). We have listed here most common for our customers.
Check your (.au) domain ownership here: https://whois.auda.org.au/
Check you (.com) domain ownership here: https://lookup.icann.org/
Want to transfer your domain to a new reseller? You will need a once off password for a transfer. Some domain types (TLD) have a automated online mechanism for passwords. Often, you need to request one from your current domain name supplier. Australian domain transfer password can be automatically obtained below. Provide this password to your new domain supplier.
Request a one-off transfer (.au) password here https://pw.auda.org.au/.
Your password will be emailed to the registrant. This is another reason you domain must be registered correctly.