Taken Domains With No Whois Data

How do I know when it expires? Can I get it now?

[Junanagoh]

I have a client who wants a certain domain and when I checked its availablity it said it was taken. I checked the whois data and it 'fails to look it up'. I check the site itself and there is one 'under construction' page that has a date on the bottom saying 2004.

Is there a way to just snatch this domain up? If the person have never entered any whois information can I just say it was me? This isnt a big keyword domain name (its a firstlastname.com domain) but something my client wants.

[davezan]

I understand the intent behind it. But would you appreciate someone doing that to you and s/he successfully pulled it off?

I guess it just depends on what side of the door you're on.

[Webwork]

Is there a way to just snatch this domain up?

How about you add to the equation fraud, theft, lawsuits for punitive damages, damaged reputations, possibly criminal charges, possibly having an offended person hunt you down in person to deliver something . . .

This is a bad idea. This is a wrong action. Some questions just shouldn't be asked, for a variety of reasons, including they project a shadow of doubt on your character when you ask them. Do you get that?

Don't do it.

[Webwork]

Here's t thought: Have you directly called the registrar to determine if, indeed, the domain is a proper and effective registration?

Who know? Maybe the honest approach might work.

[whoisgregg]

Just because there's no public web page at the site root doesn't mean the domain is unused. It may be solely used for email, or ftp, or just about anything else. Also, the "real" site may not be public.

[Junanagoh]

Here's t thought: Have you directly called the registrar to determine if, indeed, the domain is a proper and effective registration?
Who know? Maybe the honest approach might work.

That was basically my question in a nutshell. There is no whois data AT ALL, yet I can not register is and there is a page up for the site. Who do I call to see if it is possibly available or at least get an email address of the owner so I can make an offer for the domain.

I didnt mean to offend anyone with the question. I didnt mean 'HEY CAN I STEAL THIS DOMAIN?'. I thought that you had to have updated whois data to keep a domain current. I just want to know how I would go about finding out who the registrant is, if it has technically expired hence having no whois information, etc.

[Junanagoh]

And just to clear everything up I didnt mean

If the person have never entered any whois information can I just say it was me?

like it sounded. This kind of came out wrong. I didnt mean I was going to do be unethical about it.

I was just asking if there is absolutely no information on this domain can a person technically own it, and does it just go to waste.

edit: I just looked it up in quite a few more registrars. All of them come back as failed or "Connection refused".

[Lobo]

Where did you check the domain?

There are a few companies that hold this information and it is not necessarily always shared... or should I say I have come across this very situation, where I could not find info with netsol but it was visible with tucows ...

It could also mean it is about to expire...

But from the sound of it, it would seem to me to be taken and you will have no right to it or indeed a chance to get it... try another domain ..

[Woz]

I heard of a similar case recently where a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend <cough> found a domain that appeared to be registered by had no registrant data. This friend contacted the registrar in question who confirmed that indeed there was a glitch in the data. I turns out that domain was allocated to that registrar by the central registry, but the domain was not infact registered to anyone. Needless to say, said friend was then able to immediately purchase said domain for themselves.

Hunting out the registrar and giving them a call, as Webwork says, may turn out to be a very fruitful exercise.

Onya
Woz

[Junanagoh]

I just found it with bulkregister.com

Sorry about all of the trouble guys and thanks for all of the advice.