Domain held by a dissolved company

[paymatters]

Have found a really good domain that is registered to a company that has been dissolved. Is there anyway of gaining control of this domain??

 

[bensd]

Try and contact the previous director(s)

 

[alex]

Have found a really good domain that is registered to a company that has been dissolved. Is there anyway of gaining control of this domain??

Technically if the company no longer exists then there is no registrant and the domain should be left to drop. In reality someone will probably still have access to the domain. In this case I'd usually contact the directors or administrators. You can’t ‘pinch’ a domain because the company is no longer active so if you can’t get in contact with someone willing and able to transfer it then there’s not much you can do.

 

[anthony]

Have found a really good domain that is registered to a company that has been dissolved. Is there anyway of gaining control of this domain??

Once the company has been dissolved, there is obviously no legal registrant, so a quick call to Nominet should set it on a fast track to deletion. However, they don't always apply that rule, instead choosing to give previous directors the option to say it was always for their own beneficial ownership, or it was transferred to the director before the company was dissolved. We all know that is likely to be bollocks in most cases though, as all companies will be in admin etc long enough for such matters to be resolved.

Company restoration cannot be applied for for this purpose, and wouldn't be approved.

 

[rob]

We all know that is likely to be bollocks in most cases though, as all companies will be in admin etc long enough for such matters to be resolved.

Plus Nominet told me they only look into stuff when there is a complaint from a party with an interest, when there is no company and just a director, then there is no possible comeback - thus the indemnity is signed - everyone happy... hmm.

 

[Bailey]

Pretty much agree with all the comments above.

I will add "from personal experience" that Nominet will attempt to contact the registrant via the email address on their records - asking them to correct any errors, they then require proof of relating to control and payment history etc and an indemnity.

The bottom line is if it were a single director in control (now dissolved) it's unlikely that the domain will actually drop. A lot will depend on how the Company came to be dissolved.

I'm also of the opinion that many registrants took to registering domains under Company name purely as a shell for ownership (without much forethought) - Nominet seem to be aware and will bend over backwards to help.

 

[Whois-Search]

Have found a really good domain that is registered to a company that has been dissolved. Is there anyway of gaining control of this domain??

See: http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/maintain/transfer/dissolved/

 

[Edwin]

And also http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gp4.shtml#ch4