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Somebody else owns my domain name, what should I do? (also covers premium domain names)

Scenario(s)

Your issue fits into one of the below scenarios:-
  1. You would like to call your company Lovely Antique Company but the domain name lovelyantiquecompany.com is already registered by someone else.

    and/or

  2. You already have a company with a certain name (eg "Lovely Antique Company") but somebody else owns that domain name

    and/or

  3. You already have the domain name mylovelycompany.com, but would like another version ("TLD"), eg mylovelycompany.co.uk or mylovelycompany.net

First things first; is the domain name already registered?


Check if the domain name you want is already registered or not. Please click here for our acticle which explains how to check if a domain name is registered

Domain names, eg "mycompanyname.com" are registered for a specific period, eg 1 or 2 years. If a domain name is not registered (eg nobody has bought it before) then it is a "free for all" and anybody can buy it through an official domain name registrar (like us!). Any domain names that have not been bought by somebody else already we should be able to register for you. So if you want "mydomainname.com" or "lovelycompanyname.co.uk" and nobody owns it already then we can register it for you.

If a domain name is already owned by somebody else, but they have merely bought it for the purposes of reselling it, then it is usually referred to as a "premium domain name". See below.


What is a premium domain name?

A premium domain name is a domain name that has already been registered by somebody else, and that person/organisation is listing that domain name for sale.

Usually the price they want for that domain name is far greater than the standard registration cost. eg, even if you can register a domain name for £19.99, if somebody has already registered that domain name and they want to resell it, then they can request whatever price they want, even if that is £10,000


Is the domain name being used?


Is the domain name you want actively being used by another company? eg if you visit the domain name in a web browser (such as by typing www.thedomainnameyouwant.com into the address bar of a browser) does it come up with an active website?

  • Yes
    • Then it looks like another company is using this domain name
    • Unless you can prove that you have owned a company with this name longer than the person using this domain name, it is unlikely you can do anything about the situation.
    • See our guides on trademark issues for more information. Please note that we are not solicitors and this information is provided as recommendation only, with no warranty.

  • No
    • If the domain name is registered by somebody else but there isn't an active website on it, then it may be for sale. We must stress "may" as many people register domain names just to "squat" on them or keep them in their portfolio, but with no intention of selling them. We are not able to make people sell a domain name they own that you want (just as we can't make people sell you a house you want, a car you want, or an island in the caribbean you want). Any sales of domain names already registered by other parties is entirely between you and them; we can't intervene.

    • To check if a domain name that you want (which is already registered) is for sale, then we would recommend:-
      • Visit the domain name in your web browser. eg if the domain name is mydomainname.com then visit www.mydomainname.com in your web browser. Is there any information that comes up with information about buying the domain name?

      • Check the following places to see if this domain name is listed for sale as a "premium" domain name. There are a number of places you can do this. Here are a few...
      • Note
        • This is ONLY applicable to domain names that are already registered (eg "premium domain names") and not unregistered domain names that are available to register

Can you get this domain name for me?


No. There is no "magic wand". If a domain name is already registered by somebody else, we are powerless to get that domain name for you. All you can do is buy it from the person (or company) that is listing it for sale (IF they want to sell it).

We can not negotiate or mediate for you with regards to premium domain names (eg domain names that are already registered).


The price being asked for a domain name is really high, what can I do?


All we can suggest is that you try and negotiate with the seller.

We are unable to negotiate for you and as the seller owns the domain name (rather than us) we can not make them sell it any cheaper.

Shortcut to this page: http://faq.ph9.com/faq_question.asp?key=1301&topic=somebody-else-owns-my-domain-name-what-should-i-do-also-covers-premium-domain-names


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