changing domain details

davidclayton

hi all,

just looking for some advice on domains. i registered a domain a while ago, and now i need to change the owner/admin details to a new contact. once it has been switched over, is there any way to track who the previous owner was? (me). i do not want any possibility that someone can get my details, or link me to this domain. if there is ANY trail, i will have to dump the domain and register another, but i'd rather not do this.

i guess what i'm asking is... is there a tool or website that views all previous owners of a domain?

all advice appreciated.
dave

Seth Brundle

.ie or .com?
You can hide your details with a .com but AFAIK they can still be obtained!
Whatever you have in mind sounds very suspicious!

Saruman

I know that doing it on a .com is a serious hassle. Down to the point that they will only respond to the email address that it was registered with... and if that was a hotmail address or something that is no longer in use.... well... you get the idea.

I believe its easier with .ie as you can do it with IEDR i think.
I myself have never had to do it but the guys here have had to do it for some of our hosting clients and its a real pain.

DJB

Using http://whois.domaintools.com/ you can get a whois history!

davidclayton

it's nothing dodgy kbannon. basically the domain is registered in a client name, but he has now started a limited company and wants to set the domain owner to the company. the purpose of this is in case of a lawsuit against the website, the company will be responsible and will have limited liability. he wants to know for SURE that there will be no way to trace it back to him in any way.

it is a .com domain. we should be able to change the owner details easily as we can send an email from the current owner email address. anyone know is a record of previous owners of a .com domain available anywhere on the net?

davidclayton

thanks DJB, i'll have a look now.

davidclayton

dammit. looks like there is a record. he won't be happy, and have to look for a new domain now....

mneylon

There'll always be a trail. The thing is whether or not someone will want to go to the hassle of following it or not ...

davidclayton

unfortunately i have to play this one very safe, so cannot take any risks.

CoNfOuNd

Sounds to me like you're worrying over nothing. There will always be trails but if he changes the ownership over to the company, surely they are responsible for any legal action from that day forward. Is he expecting to be sued any day or something!?

davidclayton

he is not expecting to be sued anytime soon, but wants to prepare for the possibility if you know what i mean. if the company gets sued, then it can liquidate if needed, and because of limited liability, he "personally" won't have to pay out.

CoNfOuNd

I'm no legal expert but if you complete a proper change of ownership, where the company pays him for the domain name, the whois details are updated and the change of ownership is in writing, then he wouldn't need to worry. If the domain is one he wants to keep but is still worried, he might be best to ask a solicitor.

mneylon

CoNfOuNd wrote:

I'm no legal expert but if you complete a proper change of ownership, where the company pays him for the domain name, the whois details are updated and the change of ownership is in writing, then he wouldn't need to worry. If the domain is one he wants to keep but is still worried, he might be best to ask a solicitor.

Why would anyone complete a change of ownership of a .com in writing?

You'd have to do it for a .ie or co.uk, but for a .com it's total overkill and if you were selling a domain on the secondary market you wouldn't even be asked about it

CoNfOuNd

Michele > I agree, but if he is that worried about the legal ramifications, a letter from the company accepting liability might re-assure him.