Who really owns your domain? Check before it is too late
A domain, that is, your address on the internet, e.g. yourcompany.com, is one of the most important things a company has online. It is your identity, the site's address and the basis of company email. And yet, surprisingly often, it turns out that the business owner is not the owner of their own domain. It was registered by "someone who made the site", and formally they control it.
This is not a theoretical problem. It is a real risk that can blow up at the worst moment.
Why it matters so much
The domain owner (formally: the registrant) is the person or company recorded as entitled to it in the registry. They are the ones who:
- decide about renewing the domain, if they do not renew, the domain expires and the site and email stop working,
- can transfer, sell or block the domain,
- have access to the panel where you set where the domain "points".
If that someone is not you, then in practice a key part of your company is in someone else's hands.
A domain registered to someone else is like company premises rented in another person's name. As long as things are good, no problem is visible. The trouble starts with a conflict, that person disappearing or an attempt to change contractor.
Real scenarios that happen
- The web company disappears or shuts down, and the domain was registered to it. Recovering it can be hard, sometimes impossible.
- A conflict with the contractor: a disagreement makes the person holding the domain stop cooperating, and you have no way to recover it.
- The domain expires, because the renewal reminder went to someone else's email. The site and email go down overnight, and in the worst case a stranger takes the domain.
- You want to change agency, but you cannot take the domain, because formally it is not yours.
How to check who owns it
Basic domain data can be checked with the WHOIS service, a public registry of domain information. For .pl domains there is the WHOIS search run by NASK (the national registry). There you will see, among other things, the expiry date and the registrar the domain is held with. Some personal data may be hidden for privacy, but it is a good starting point.
The most important questions you must know the answer to:
- In whose name is the domain registered (your company or someone else)?
- With which registrar is it held and do you have access to it?
- When does it expire and who gets the renewal reminders?
- Do you have the login details for the domain panel?
If you answer "I do not know" to any of these, that is a signal to clarify it.
What to do if the domain is not in your name
Relax, it can be sorted out. Usually it is enough to ask the current registrant to transfer the domain to you (a so-called assignment/transfer) or to hand over access. It is worth doing this while the relationship is good, rather than at the moment of a conflict. The earlier, the simpler.
We will help sort it out
Checking who owns the domain, when it expires and whether everything is on your side is one of the first things we do as part of site care. We also keep an eye on expiry dates, so the domain never goes down because of a forgotten renewal.
Not sure whether your domain is really yours? Get in touch, we will help check and sort it out.