The most important reason for maintaining an accurate WHOIS record is that it reduces the chance of an unauthorized modification or transfer to your domain name. It also ensures that we (KeNIC) have contact data by which to communicate critical information to you. The details that should be provided to the accredited Registrar when Registering your preferred domain name are:
- Full Name
- Phone No.
- Email Address
These are the critical details that you should always ensure are accurate as they signify the actual owner of the domain name. If these are incorrect, it can result to loss of the domain name as the person whose details appear can easily claim its ownership.
Often, there are so many instances where clients / domain owners end up losing their brands online from this mistake. Here is a scenario:
‘Martin was starting his business venture and decided to create a website so as to maximize on opportunities online. With this, he was assured of more sales with a wider customer reach due to the unlimited reach provided by ecommerce platforms. After setting up a physical shop in Nairobi, he approached XGH Solutions Ltd, to design a website for him. He also requested for a .CO.KE domain name, so as to give his brand a unique online identity. The company went ahead and designed a great website for him. However, they registered the domain name under their name, but Martin did not take time to confirm this since his website was up and running and business was booming. An year later, Martin had issues with XGH ltd over some payments on website maintenance, and they suspended the website. This led to loss of business as he could not even access the domain name which was Registered under XGH Ltd. They therefore claimed that the domain name belonged to them as their details appeared on WHOIS of the domain name.
In a bid to regain his domain ownership, Martin wrote to KeNIC dispute resolution team ([email protected]) who scheduled a Mediation meeting where both parties were invited. This was resolved amicably and Martin regained control of his domain name. Despite this, he had incurred losses resulting from inaccessibility of his website over the duration of the dispute.
WHOIS details is one critical thing you should not ignore when registering your domain name. Contact your respective Registrar to confirm if the details are correct.