Technically you don’t own your domain name, you only license it (more on that shortly).
But what’s far more important is whether your business ‘owns’ the domain. Or if the web designers listed themselves as owners!
Let’s get into what that means and how you find out.
What Do You Mean I Don’t Own My Own Domain?
Firstly, let’s quickly cover ‘ownership’. We all talk about owning a domain, but really we should be saying that we’ve ‘licensed the domain’ (doesn’t that trip off the tongue neatly…).
It really doesn’t matter. Because it’s the same for everyone.
Stuff.co.nz don’t ‘own’ their domain, Google.co.nz don’t ‘own’ their domain either.
It’s just part of the NZ Domain Name Commission rules that you agree to when buying a domain, specifically:
2.2.6. On registration of a .nz domain name, the Domain Name Holder holds a licence from InternetNZ to use it as long as it remains registered. The Domain Name Holder does not own the .nz domain name.
Pretty clear with the ‘you do not own’ bit aren’t they?
And yes, that means anything ending .nz (from .co.nz to .govt.nz as well as just .nz).
But for the sake of both our sanities I’m still going to use the terms owning and licensing below as meaning the same thing.
Moving on. 🙂
Who Is Listed As Your Domain’s Owner?
Please do check this, because this can really come back to bite you.
There is no reason or excuse for the owner ever being anyone other than you or your business. It doesn’t matter who built the website, who manages the website or who manages the domain renewals. Your business should always be the ‘Registrant’ contact on the domain.
It’s fine for the ‘Admin’ and ‘Technical’ contacts to be other people (the agency that manages your website for example). But if the Registrant is not listed as your business that means you don’t actually own your domain! Which can cause major problems if that listed contact ever disappears, stops trading and your domain doesn’t get renewed. Because that’s your website offline – with no quick fix possible.
All too often we see a web design agency listed as the Registrant. There is no good reason for this. It’s just not necessary – and frankly, it’s just not right.
Or sometimes the details were never updated when someone bought the business. The previous business owner still owns the domain!
How Can You Find Out Who Owns a Domain?
The NZ Domain Name Commission (NZ DNC) have a simple online tool to look up the contact details. Please do check your domain here and make sure who owns it.
If it’s not you, start the process now of getting that changed over. If the domain is in your account with a domain registrar (e.g. 1stDomains, Crazy Domains, Metaname etc) then simply log in and update the contact records. You can see which Registrar the domain is held with from the ‘WhosIs lookup tool’ above.
If you don’t have access to the domain name then contact the person or company who is listed as Registrant. Or whoever manages your domain. Get them to correct it. Then double check when that’s been done. Plus I also recommend you check it regularly to make sure it remains correct.
The NZ DNC do have a mediation process if trying to fix this doesn’t go smoothly. But if the other party cannot be reached or just doesn’t respond, then you’re already looking at a fee of $2,000+GST just for their DNC expert to look at the case. So ideally you don’t want to go there. 🙂
What Are the Domain Contact Types?
There are 4 contacts listed on a domain name:-
- Registrar – the company who the domain name was registered through (e.g. 1stDomains, Crazy Domains).
- Registrant – holds the highest authority for this domain, i.e. this should be you or your company.
- Admin – will receive administrative contacts such as domain expiration notices and typically invoices.
- Technical – the contact for technical issues relating to the domain, sometimes listed as the registrar.
What About Non-NZ Domains?
If your domain is not an NZ domain (typically .co.nz or .nz) – maybe you went .com – then you can try the ICANN lookup tool to check for registrant details. But most domain contacts are now ‘redacted for privacy’ making it difficult to get any useful information.
If the domain is in your account with a domain registrar somewhere (GoDaddy, Namecheap etc) then do log in to that account and check the contact details in there are up to date. Amend them if not.
If you don’t have access to your domain in an account that you control, then you will need to seek assurance from whoever manages your domain and renewals that the Registrant is correctly set to your business details. You may want to reconsider how that arrangement works.
Related Domain Ownership Questions
Can You Transfer Ownership of a Domain Name?
Yes, domain ownership can be transferred. This is NOT just a case of updating the Registrant contact though. The domain should be transferred into the registrar account of the new owner. This is done at the same domain registrar (you may need to create your own account/login first).
Once the domain is in your account, then you can check and update the contacts. You can also then transfer the domain to your account at a different registrar if you wish.
Can You Buy a Domain Name From Someone Else?
Yes, absolutely, this happens all the time. Domain names can be traded just like any other commodity.
If a domain is not registered then you can just buy it from any NZ domain registrar for around $30 a year. If it is already registered then it may still be up for sale (the aftermarket). Prices can range from a few hundred dollars to many thousands. Still pretty cheap compared to the .com aftermarket where generic names can go for tens of millions of dollars.
If you buy a domain from another party the domain will be transferred to your ownership (i.e. into your registrar account). Once it arrives double check the domain contacts and ensure these are all updated to your details.