[Robo]

Hey all. I just had a quick question.

There's a domain name that I wanted to buy. The good news is that it expired on January 15. The bad news is that on January 14, it was "put to sleep" and can't be registered.

I've never seen that before. Does anyone have any idea what that means?

[Fahrenheit]

It may be detagged? But then that doesn't seem to match quite right to me...Someone more intelligent will help you!

[scratt]

I have never heard that term.. But there is a period after a URL goes out of it's registration period that it cannot be registered again. That is to protect someone from snapping up your tasty URL just because you were a day or two late renewing it. Perhaps that is it.. As I said I have not heard the phrase 'put to sleep' before, but it would fit that description. Have you googled 'put to sleep'?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by scratt I have never heard that term.. But there is a period after a URL goes out of it's registration period that it cannot be registered again. That is to protect someone from snapping up your tasty URL just because you were a day or two late renewing it. Perhaps that is it.. As I said I have not heard the phrase 'put to sleep' before, but it would fit that description. Have you googled 'put to sleep'?

Yeah, all it returned is a couple punny headlines regarding Pets.com going out of business and general PC questions.

[Ebby]

after a domain expired they have like 75 days or something to renew it before it becomes available for purchase. I tried to buy a domain from a cybersquatter who stole it from me a day after it expired and lo-and-behold he renewed it after he realized there was still demand. I now own the trademark to that domain and can take it back through the courts in a couple months. Took me a year to get to that point though.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Ebby after a domain expired they have like 75 days or something to renew it before it becomes available for purchase. I tried to buy a domain from a cybersquatter who stole it from me a day after it expired and lo-and-behold he renewed it after he realized there was still demand. I now own the trademark to that domain and can take it back through the courts in a couple months. Took me a year to get to that point though.

But even with those 75 days, it should have been open for reservation at the end of March, right? It's been, like, 100 days since the domain was "put to sleep."

Do different TLDs and their governing bodies have different rules?

[Ebby]

yea, actually they do. there is no set rule on that, only guidelines. It sucks.

[AWR]

Originally Posted by Ebby after a domain expired they have like 75 days or something to renew it before it becomes available for purchase. I tried to buy a domain from a cybersquatter who stole it from me a day after it expired and lo-and-behold he renewed it after he realized there was still demand. I now own the trademark to that domain and can take it back through the courts in a couple months. Took me a year to get to that point though.

Usually a cheaper, faster way to wrest a domain back from a cybersquatter - WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. That said, just having trademark rights in the domain name (or part thereof) is not an indication of likelihood of success (in and of itself), although maybe you knew that.

[Ebby]

Yea, I heard of that and another anti-cybersquatting law I could use to sue them, but this way if it goes to courts, I can have them pay for everything when they lose. I'm a scrooge. Otherwise I have to front the cost and that is a whopper for me for a domain name.

[AWR]

True, just make sure you're sure;otherwise you may be stuck with the legal fees sans domain name. Good luck, and let us know how things work out.

[Ebby]

haha! oh yea. That crossed my mind too. But I have proof the name I want was in use publicly since 1999 and the current owner has "no ligament use" defined by the anti-cybersquatting laws
.