Domains - After Death?

[tsj5j]

I mean, let's say the owner just died, without any instructions.

Do normal laws apply and transfer to the next of kin, or is it left to rot?

Just curious, that's all.

 

[primacomputer]

There are plenty of types of property that don’t involve tax. I own a TV and have never paid a cent is tax on it. By the same token there are plenty of services that do involve a tax. How many people pay GST on their cable service?

I don’t want registrars “fooling around” with anything, but I can see many reasons why domains should be considered in a divorce. If a couple with a business split up it’s likely they’ll each get a share of it. Why should one of them get to own the domain name that business uses simply because he/she was the one who registered it?

I think allowing creditors to attach names is a great idea. Why should someone be allowed to borrow money, use it to buy and promote a domain name and then go broke keeping the name that was bought and marketed with my money?

There are also a number of reasons it would be nice to have a domain considered property when filing tax.

I appreciate there are reasons and precedents as to why names aren’t considered property but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’ll call them property and hope it catches on

 

[NetworkTown.Net]

intreating i was thinking of this just the other day now i think i have my answer

 

[RogueWriter]

Well if I ever get to the stage where I know im going to die in the next year or so then I will pay the next 10 years renewal on all my domains lol!!

Yep, just put it on Visa, and they can bill ya, lol.

 

[bluesman]

Only to California-based users at least, based on the sex.com case.

No major court examples regarding the net are only state-wide, or even country-wide. The web is international, and the sex.com case was a huge one. (So was the wwf.com case.) But as to the other poster seeing domain holdings as a mere "service," I'd say no, it's more like actual real estate (aka cyber real estate or electronic real estate - "ereal estate"? - take your pick).

Point is that if you think about it, the web is already set up just like a real estate office - having buyers and sellers of both personal "houses" and business "buildings" (depending on how the domains are used), helpful registrars ("agents"), etc. The only thing missing is that you never have to mow the lawn!

Regarding domain-owning people passing on, as soon as they find out they're in deep physical trouble, right away they should transfer their domain properties (forget trying to shoehorn it into a will) to whichever relative (or even friend) whom they want to see owning their favorite "web homes."

Of course, in the rare case of suddenly getting hit by a truck (or a major coronary), even then the family (which hopefully is aware that the guy owned domains) can still step in and notify the registrar about what they want done with them.

 

[jberryhill]

No major court examples regarding the net are only state-wide, or even country-wide. The web is international, and the sex.com case was a huge one.

I don't know what you are trying to say there, but if you bring a case in a Virginia state court, they aren't going to give a hoot what happened in the sex.com case - which was a federal court in California. A VA state court is going to follow the VA Supreme Court. Period.

Now, if you have some reason as to why a VA state court is going to care what goes on in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, then let's hear it.

Otherwise the law that gets applied to your case is the law of the jurisdiction where you bring your case. That's how courts work.

 

[zachary0611]

I mean, let's say the owner just died, without any instructions.

Do normal laws apply and transfer to the next of kin, or is it left to rot?

Just curious, that's all.

dont kill anyone :hehe:

 

[deet]

don't domains live forever ? They Just change owners right ? :D

 

[dan_Vt]

They can be a part of the estate, but I think if the deceased hasn't left username/password info to his registrars then people may have a hard time actually getting them.

 

[Dave_Z]

don't domains live forever ? They Just change owners right ? :D

Ah, but we can only wish we can keep our registered domain names forever. :hehe:

They can change owners. But only if one bothers to do so with their registrar.

 

[Keral_Patel]

I would set it on autorenew in GoDaddy. Then monetize them ins such a way that they earn atleast their own renewal fees. Also I will keep some amount in my paypal. So no worry for next 1000 of years.

Means only if paypal and internet survives next 1000 years.