Private Registration and ownership of a domain

Hi there folks,

I am thinking about buying 6 domains at GoDaddy. Because I want to buy 6 domains, GoDaddy is offering me free private registration. I like the idea of not being visible at the WHOIS, but I don't like the idea of not being the owner of the domain anymore.

Will I become the legal owner of the domain once I decide not to renew the private registration after one year, or will I never be able to get the legal rights to the domain?

I am somewhat new to getting a domain name, so sorry if these are very basic and easy to solve questions.

Thanks in advance and apologies for any English mistakes!

 

You will always be the legal owner and own the legal rights to any domain you register whether you have privacy protection or not. At my registrar, Economical Domains we give free privacy protection for the life of any domain registered, and you can turn it on or off as you like. The private registration is mainly to block your email address from potential spammers but has other benefits as well. Either way, you are the legal owner of any domain you register, as long as it it not a trademarked term or domain name, whether you have privacy protection enabled or not.

 

Thanks for the info.

I have been reading on various sites that the company providing the private registration service is the legal owner of the domain, hence why I thought this was the case. If I understand correctly it is not the case?

Thank you.

 

I have never heard of that before, but I don't know the case with GoDaddy and who they use. In the case of our registration business, the privacy services only hides your contact and registration details for the domain, but the ownership and control lies completely with the person who registers it. They just provide the service of keeping your personal information private and not letting it out all over the net.

 

Just being maybe a little nitpicky, but technically Economical Domains isn't a registrar but
a reseller for one. That doesn't necessarily mean they can't be relied on, though that's a
test of time.

To the OP: jordan is nonetheless correct you're still the "legal owner" of the domain name
even if using the registrar's privacy. In fact, check your registrar's agreement about that
service itself.

One catch is the registrar might turn over your actual details should an administrative or
legal dispute arise, especially if served with "official papers" like a court order or notice
for a Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) filing.

 

Well obviously you will be the lone registrar of your domain and no one can change it, even if you opt to take that privacy or not. It is better to have the privacy on, only because there are lot of spammers out there who are looking out for free email addresses over the net

 

Thank you so much for all the information!