Potential disruption to MacPorts domain registration

[Jan Stary]

On Mar 30 03:09:32, Joshua Root wrote:
> Short version: Our domain registrar, gkg.net, is threatening to cancel
> the registration of macports.org and other domains that redirect to it.
> We do not know whether they will follow through on this threat.
> 
> If they do, we will have no choice but to move our services to another
> domain, at least temporarily. Tentatively, that would be
> macports.macosforge.org for www.macports.org, and
> trac.macosforge.org/projects/macports for trac.macports.org. We also
> have macportz.org and macportz.com registered through another registrar
> in case we need them.
> 
> If this does happen, the mailing lists will keep working, though
> @macports.org email aliases will not. Our IRC channel, #macports on
> Freenode, will also continue to be available. Further information will
> be posted in these two places if necessary.
> 
> Background on the issue:
> 
> James Berry, who handles the domain registrations for the project,
> recently renewed them. While doing so, he accidentally checked a box
> requesting another service along with the registrations. He immediately
> informed GKG of the error, and for the next several weeks corresponded
> with them, asking them to cancel the unwanted service and provide a
> refund. They refused to do so.
> 
> He then sought and obtained a chargeback from his credit card company.
> After that, GKG contacted him and stated that to avoid closure of his
> account, he had to pay a "chargeback fee" (which was greater than the
> amount refunded), and provide "a notarized letter from the Registrant
> and the person who paid for the services (if the person is different
> from the Registrant) stating that they understand the charges they
> incurred, they agreed to the charges, and they will not charge the
> services back. The letter will also agree to the domains remaining on
> Registrar Lock until GKG decides that there is no longer a threat of a
> chargeback from the Registrant and/or the person who paid for the
> services originally."
> 
> James will not be providing the requested letter since some of the
> statements in it would be false.
> 
> - Josh (for PortMgr)
> _______________________________________________
> macports-users mailing list
> macports-users at lists.macosforge.org
> http://lists.macosforge.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/macports-users

On Mar 29 09:53:02, James Berry wrote:
> It would be best to transfer to another registrar asap, but we are unable to do so because:
> 
>  (1) Our domain is currently under registrar lock because, according to GKG policies, it is within a 60-day period following renewal.
> 
>  (2) Pending resolution of our current dispute, they may decide unilaterally to further extend this registrar lock, effectively holding our domains hostage.


They sure sound like a very shitty registrar.

If I read their pricing right, the amount in question is not that much,
ad the dispute is more a matter of principle (as in "not to be fucked
with"); I sympathize with that.

If the above really canot be worked around, I suggest you pay
for the unwanted services, move to another registrar once the
domain is unlocked, and taking inspiration from
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=orbitz_blows
use the powers of teh interwebz to make this the most expensive
dollars they have ever made.

(For example, those of us users of macports.org who
work in the webhosting bussiness could let gkg.net know
about the thousands of domains they will never have in their portfolio,
and the hundreds of domains we are moving to other registrars right now.)

BTW, reading the whois for the domain, I see that
Apple is the technical contact for the domain and
runs the nameservers for it. What exactly is the
relation of macports to Apple as a corporation?

	Jan