As some of you may know, Brent likes guns. Big guns. Like this one:
Yup, that's Brent's rig - courtesy of Andrew Allemann.
On January 11, Godaddy dumped AR15.com, which is believed to be the largest gun site in the USA.
https://domainnamewire.com/2021/01/17/godaddy-explains-ar15-com-boot/
AR15.com landed at Epik. The people who run the site are law-abiding and highly competent folks. I am dumbfounded that they were terminated by Godaddy.
I am told that on the same day, many other gun-related sites were also told to leave Godaddy. I won't quote the number I heard, but the number surprised me.
While Godaddy founder Bob Parsons liked guns, apparently the current leadership, or their handlers, don't like guns, and perhaps don't care for people who support the 2nd amendment (2A).
Specific to the case between Puneet and Brent, ultimately, it is for the courts to decide whether there was some breach of contract, or economic injury.
Unless there was a specific court order mandating Godaddy to seize Brent's names, I don't see how it can be justified. It is the antithesis of the registrar's job, which is to protect the
registrant within the law.
If Godaddy has a problem with Brent, and does not have a court order mandating seizure of Brent's assets, they should just let Brent move on.
As for Puneet, I have interacted with him, including over this issue. Like all of us, he is on a journey. My hope is that the parties resolve their private dispute amicably and reasonably.
Good luck to Brent and Puneet in burying the hatchet.
In the meantime, Godaddy needs to release Brent's domains. An open refusal to do so sets a terrible precedent when it comes to sovereignty of personal property.
If Godaddy refuses to stand down, I believe Brent should pursue a legal path which serves to discover all communications at Godaddy related to policy and practices related to impairing 2A enthusiasts.