Domain drop catching

Domain drop catching , also known as domain sniping, is the practice of registering a domain name once registration has lapsed, immediately after expiry. Domain sniping has largely been stopped by the the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), by an addition to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) of the Redemption Grace Period (RGP), which allows registrants 30 days after expiry to reclaim their domain name.[1] By law there are no perpetual rights to domain names after payment of registration fees lapses, aside from trademark rights granted by common law or statute. ICANN's RAA requires registrars to delete domain registrations once a second notice has been given and the RGP has elapsed.

Although domain registrars often make multiple attempts to notify a registrant of a domain name's impending expiration, a failure on the part of the original registrant to provide the registrar with accurate contact information makes an unintended registration lapse possible. Unless the original registrant holds a trademark or other legal entitlement to the name, they are often left without any form of recourse in getting the domain name back. It is incumbent on registrants to be proactive in managing their name registrations and to be good stewards of their domain names.

Prior to the RGP, individuals could engage in domain sniping in order to extort money from the original registrant to buy their domain name back. The addition of RGP has largely abated the ability to "snipe" domain names. The competition for expiring domain names has since become a purview of the domain registrar. Retail registrars such as GoDaddy or eNom retain names for auction through services such as TDNAM or Snapnames. These drop catch services are performed by both ICANN-accredited and non-accredited registrars. Currently, ICANN has no policy for how to handle expired domain names after registration has lapsed past the RGP.