Who Owns Your Domain Name?

If you are like most dentists, you probably assume that you own your practice’s domain name. (A domain name is a website address - e.g., www.mypractice.com.) Obviously, you should own your own domain name, but sometimes your webmaster will have registered it in the webmaster's name. While this is usually not a problem, sometimes it can become one if you have a falling out with the webmaster and decide to have another website marketing firm handle your practice’s internet marketing.

Following are two things to consider in connection with your domain name:

• Check your registrar account. Go to a registrar like Network Solutions, GoDaddy, or Registar.com. Each of these registrars offer a "Who Is" search that will allow you to see how your account is set up. You or your practice should be listed as the "Registrant." It is OK for your webmaster to be listed as the Admin, billing or technical contact. If you are the registrant, you will ultimately be able to control the account by faxing instructions to your registrar on your letterhead even if you have a falling out with your webmaster.
• Know your Registrar Account's login and password. I can't tell you how many times we have tried to transfer a client's website and the client does not know the login and password for his registrar account. Without that information, we can't point the domain to our webserver.

Another idea would be to get a letter from your webmaster early on confirming that you - and not the webmaster - own your domain name. Do this while you are on good terms with the webmaster and it may avoid a problem down the road.

If you have a falling out with your webmaster and your webmaster decides to play "hardball", one tactic we have seen used is to claim that the webmaster - and not you or the practice - owns your domain name. Usually, they back off, but not always. Sometimes you need to get control of it through the registrar and that process is a whole lot easier if you are listed as the registrant. Otherwise, the webmaster can claim that it was just subleasing you the domain.

In a similar vein, make sure you own your website design and content. But that story will be told in another posting.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions