Someone bought my domain

• 

  alexina8 · Member · Jun 12, 2021 at 11:28 am

  • Copy link
  • Add topic to favorites

  Hello! I was feeling a bit depressed about my career and cancelled my domain. I didn’t realise how serious this was, or that someone would buy the domain (which is just my full name). Not long after this, it seems to have been bought by someone in China (?). A month or two ago the site was in Chinese with stock footage of seafood and a notice saying I could purchase the domain for $500. I just looked it up again and there is simply a very official message which Google Translate says means I am not authorised to visit the page. Does WordPress/anyone in this forum know if there is a way of getting back the domain name so I can use it again?

• 

  helper-heroponriki · Member · Jun 12, 2021 at 5:52 pm

  • Copy link

  Thanks for reaching out.

  If you cancelled your domain and it was deleted from the registry, technically it is no longer your domain. It was dropped and became available for anyone to register as a new name. Unfortunately you cannot file a domain dispute, which is used only when domains have been fraudulently transferred to another registrar. As you do not own the domain any longer, this action is not appropriate.

  It is important to understand, once a domain expires or is cancelled and drops into the available pool of domains, anyone can register the domain as a new name. You are no longer the current registrant, and unless there is a trademark involved, you may not have any rights to the domain even if you were the previous registrant.

  The only thing you can do is keep track of when the domain expires and see if they fail to renew it – you may be able to purchase it back at that time.

  I hope that clarifies things.