Domain name registration query

[Ben T]

If I own a domain, e.g. blah.guff, and someone wants to register a domain of the same name but different country code, e.g. blah.cn, do they even need my permission?

For example if the company seeking to register blah.cn is in china?

If I received such a request, what sort of spam mechanism/malicious ulterior motives could such a request potentially have?

[Ian H]

I've had those.  I suspect they want your financial details, exchanged when you fork out for the domain.

[Phil W]

Nope, you don't own the other domains and have no rights over them. They don't need your permission. There were a few arguments over brand names a few years back. But, unless you're in direct competiton, and picked up a competitors brand name it's a non issue.

If you receive such a request then just ignore them.

[psyclist]

There is no permission requirement. I could setup blah.uk without notifying you.

What you can't do is to pass yourself off as another entity. So if I registered apple.uk and sold fruit and veg I would probably be ok, but if I used the same name to sell computers or phones, I might get a call from a certain company's legal team if they became aware of it (usually happens when the business grows). There are some rules around companies having the rights to their own name, and there have been a few court cases where disputes of this nature have been resolved.

If you've received a request for a company looking to setup blah.cn, it might just be the company is looking to avoid any conflict in the future ... if they have confirmation from you that they can proceed using that name, then you would not be in a position to challenge their right to the name later on if, for instance, you wanted to start trading in China.

It all does sound a bit unusual though.

[zendog]

Usually it's a domain manager trying to get you to rent the second name - from them.

Not sinister just typical bottom feeder marketing.

[drossall]

+1. I've had loads of these over the years. Just trying to generate a market usually. If you're z-corp, there are only so many variants of that name you can buy. One for every country in the world? And mis-spellings of all those? And then all the top-level domains?

You have to have a view on what countries are important to you, and what variants it's worth forking out for, and go for those. If you're a mega-corp, it might be a long list. If you're a small trader, it won't be.

[Ben T]

Ah, I see. I have no interest in the other countries' domains, or in purchasing them myself to stop anyone else getting them.

Thanks