Detagged domain

Can we recover our domain?

[AndyM]

I work for a non-profit organisation, which I will call TheOrg. TheOrg was originally set up as joint project by a University in partnership with two well known IT companies which I will call Smith Plc and Jones Plc. The domain (theorg.org.uk) was registered by a department of Jones Plc on TheOrg's behalf. We now know that the registant name used was Jones Education Dept. Since then, Jones Plc has been taken over by a third company (say Pritchard Plc). Jones Education Dept became Pritchard Educational, but was later closed down.

The domain has just been detagged. Since all employees of the original Jones Education Dept have now left Pritchard Plc, no-one there knows anything about it. Nominet say they cannot transfer the domain without permission from Jones Education Dept, but they do not exist.

The website is a major part of the activities of TheOrg, not to mention the use of email. We have been using the domain for 4 years, and it is on all our literature etc.

Can anyone tell me where do we stand on this? Do we just give up the domain and start again, or do we have any legal grounds for dispute? Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

[CHC]

We are Nominet members specialising in recovering detagged domain names and situations like yours are very commonplace. Nominet are sticklers for paperwork but can easily be talked round if the right documentation is produced and proof that you have actually been using the domain name is supplied to them. Given the fact that you are a non profit organisation I would be happy to intercede with Nominet on your behalf free of charge and get this sorted out for you. I have stickied you with our contact info so please free to get in touch.