Maybe you can ask them for the $10K they offered, and tell them to keep it.
The last thing you want is for this to go viral, and you get labelled Spain's enemy #1.
I have no issue with them using it. It's how they did it. And yes there is there is the money.
Just like with a real estate developer that forgot to register a domain that's an EMD for their property. Or a corp that forgot to register their company name.
Mistakes cost money. I had the foresight to register coronavirus.es before the government of an entire nation. Think about that for a second.
Doesn't say much about whoever was responsible for that.
Again. As I've repeated before. We are not talking about a corporation that has a budget.
Are we to say that the nation of Spain can't afford to buy a six figure domain to help inform and save it's people?
I'm sure such an amount is a drop in the bucket. Meanwhile the entire global economy is tanking everyone's lively hood right now is in jeopardy.
But somehow I'm labeled a d*ck for complaining.
Not registering domains like COVID19.es and covid-19.es and coronavirus.es speaks to the poor management of a gov.
It's almost like this government "forgot" about making plans aka some info website to help it's people. Very poor planning.
Me being hated by a Spain? This is what it is. I'm pretty much 100% sure now that inquiry was a rep for the gov. Negotiations failed because they tried high pressure scare tactics.
I even offered already to work with them and let them use the domain so long as I get ads on there. It was all set. I wasn't going to get any money. I was going to let them use it then last minute they offered $10,000 with a side comment that I should consider it because Spain is in alert mode and will take it.
Again that did not rub me the right way. So I should be happy to take your $10,000 because you say Spain will take it anyway? That right?
After that I told him not to contact me again and that I blocked him.
It is what it is. Spain tried to buy it for cheap because to hell with domainers. And when that failed. Take it.
Simple as that. Many will took issue with my registering Coronavirus domains so naturally they will take Spain's side.
No one will say it's wrong to blindside someone and take their domain and give it back once it's worthless because it was bad to register Coronavirus domains anyway so this domainer got what he deserved.
But please pay attention to one thing regardless of whether this is a pandemic or not this could have been done to ANY OTHER .es domain.
The point is they CAN and they will if it means they save money.
Many ways to think of this.
One way is Spain does not care about domainers in general so much so they will just take .es domains.
You can say this is an isolated incident because of Coronavirus but if you think logically is it really?
I can see Spain borrowing any .es domain to suit it's purpose to avoid paying anything. There is no reasons why Spain couldn't afford to outright buy Coronavirus.es and the others. I mean is Spain broke?
Spain now has an army of drones to help monitor and make sure people are staying home.
How much did that cost? Drones to monitor an entire country? $$$$$
But an exact match web address to help get the word out? Nah we're not paying for that.
Did that drone company donate it's services? What about the ventilator companies providing equipment?
You can say what you want about profiteering from Coronavirus and how bad it is and I will agree 100%.
But nevertheless there will be profiteering. From masks to hand sanitizers etc etc.
You can hate me all you want but if your domain was taken. You'd be complaining to.
Writing this domain off. I don't think expect it returned ever.
I did not have to spill the details of this situation. Could have kept this to myself. But I believe in sharing even if it looks bad for me. Bad people hide in the shadows and keep things to themselves. I choose to put it out there and let the public decide.
A lot of gov's are being heavily criticized for being unprepared during this crisis. It's all just poor management.
Not registering Coronavirus.es in their country code is an example of this unpreparedness. Spain's people should be asking. "Wait so you knew about Coronavirus but did not register Coronavirus.es as an info site for Spain? Instead some Fat Filipino in Jersey registered it? And you tried to buy it but could only afford $10,000 so instead you confiscated it for free?
Given the economic issues in Spain due to the gov mismanagement. I hear Spanish people really don't like or trust their Gov.
So I think they can appreciate what I tried to do with Coronavirus.es
Don't make this out to be that I'm a d*ck.
An entire country's gov FORGOT to register Coronavirus.es. Mistakes cost money or at least they should. Unless of course if you control the registry. In which case do what you want take what you want.
I'm done with this. It's whatever. Hope it helps the people of Spain get info and they get thru this.
I wasn't even given the opportunity to shine here and hand it over to them in a grand gesture at least for publicity. Nope. Just took it. Excuse or reason ? Coronavirus.
Not even a formal request like "may we borrow this domain to help get the word out?"
They did not even bother to wait to hear my answer. I would have said yes. Shoot ..if the government of Spain wants to borrow my domain?
Who would say no to that?
I'm really starting to believe that $10k offer was a Gov Rep because they just up and took the domain meaning they "already talked to me about it" and it did not end well.
In my defense that $10k offer I could not have known they were Spain Gov. How could I? He could have just been a domainer trying to buy coronavirus.es for $10k for quick flip.
Had I known it was Spain? Probably would have accepted the $10,000 or just let them borrow it for free.
My problem with all this is that the OPTION was taken from me. I was not allowed to do the noble thing. Instead what I got was a form of stealth mode buying by the Spain Gov. To try to get it for cheap. They did not want this domainer to find out that Spain Gov wants this domain. Fearing he might ask for $1 million.
I don't know what's worse. A domainer who regs coronavirus.es or a Gov that uses stealth mode to buy a domain for cheap by hiding who they are.
A domain they FORGOT to register.
If they are pissed they couldn't buy it for $10,000 perhaps they should have just contacted me "as themselves" none of this stealth mode crap.
Soon as you go "stealth mode" you are already doing something shady.
Hiding who you are so you can get the best deal for a steal when you have the resources of an entire country? Not noble at all.
Meanwhile they are a COUNTRY. meaning they have way more money than Amazon or Tesla.
I can't anymore. Just giving me upset stomach. The more I talk about this just gets me pissed.
Goodnight NP!
I wonder what's next of my domains get confiscated.
To be continued....