Q&A: Who owns a domain name if a designer stops working on the website?
Question by csmoll: Who owns a domain name if a designer stops working on the website?
We asked a designer to build our website, and he acquired domain names for it. He was since relieved of his duties, but the domains are registered in his name. We’ve since launched the business and he is refusing to turn over the domains to us. What are our options, aside from the costly WIPO/NAF procedures? Can we sue in small claims? We are in Wisconsin.
Best answer:
Answer by tonalc1
Sorry, he owns the names. You can buy them from him.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
| Print article | This entry was posted by internet4u on September 6, 2010 at 8:58 pm, and is filed under Domain Names. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 1 year ago
Who Owns Your Domain Name? here is a website that may help you figure this out.. ..but i think if he registered them in his name and not yours you are out of a domain name…next time make sure it’s registered in your name
http://www.keytlaw.com/urls/whoowns.htm
hope this helps
)
about 1 year ago
I would sue in small claims court.
Yes, technically, he is the registered owner. But he registered the names while under contractual obligation with you to turn over all works and derivative works related to the task he was hired to perform, so he was legally obligated to turn over the domain name registrations to you at that time.
Otherwise, it would be no different than a developer claiming he owns all the code he wrote for you because it was on his machine.
Contact a lawyer and have them pursue it for you. You’ll win.