Someone sniped my domain. What do I do?

[zircon]

www.soundtempest.net - which I've had for a good 3-4 years now - expired yesterday. I forgot to change my renewal preferences back to "auto", and apparently someone has registered it, even using my name (but putting some crappy ad spam type page there instead).

I want my domain back. What can I do?

[Kanthos]

Um, the page looks the same to me (File hosting and FTP access for musicians. Contact admin@soundtempest.net for more info.) Did everything work out?

Are you sure someone else actually bought it, as opposed to your domain host replacing it with the spam-looking page since they were no longer obligated to point to your web host?

[XG Beatz]

There's nothing you can do, unless you copyrighted the name.

[The Damned]

Actually, you can copyright something right now, and if you got it through fast enough, you can have a legal right to the name and the domain thereof.

Copyright laws are kind of screwy that way. I'd ask a lawyer or grab a copyright book first, and make sure. If it's as I remember it, you can fight for it to be returned to you.

[Steben]

I'm hardly an expert on copyright law, but it's my understanding that you have an implicit copyright over anything you create. Perhaps that could include a brand, such as SoundTempest?

[suzumebachi]

www.soundtempest.net - which I've had for a good 3-4 years now - expired yesterday. I forgot to change my renewal preferences back to "auto", and apparently someone has registered it, even using my name (but putting some crappy ad spam type page there instead).

I want my domain back. What can I do?

replacing a page with a crappy spam page is common practice when a domain expires. you sure someone else registered it?

[Kanthos]

replacing a page with a crappy spam page is common practice when a domain expires. you sure someone else registered it?

Isn't that what I said 4 posts ago?

[Lotd2242]

There is almost always a 3-6 month holding period on the part of the registrar where the domain is not back in public. Usually, when one expires, your registrar has a process of still allowing you to renew it during that itme period, but typically it costs more and requires some additional paperwork on your part.

Like some others have pointed out, the "spam" page is probably just their placeholder for your domain while it is in limbo. After whatever holding period they have, then it will go back out to the public where anyone can have it.

[OverCoat]

http://soundtempest.net/soc/

it's all still here.

[Flik]

You should still be able to get it back. I let one of my domains expire with Network Solutions, and even after the fact they still held onto it and kept emailing me giving me chances to renew it. Email the support people with your registrar and I'm sure they'll help you out and let you know that you can still renew it.