Systems and methods for domain name registration by proxy

• US 7,130,878 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2003
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Group Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rechterman, Barbara J., Coffman, Joshua T., Parsons, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US10/624,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-219, 709224-228, 709/245, 370400-401
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3015 Name registration, generation or assignment

Abstract

A system and method of proxy domain name registration permits a would-be domain name registrant anonymity. A registrar affords customers the opportunity to use the proxy registration. If the customer seeking registration of a domain name requests, the registrar obtains contact information needed for registration from a proxy entity established for this purpose. The registrar completes the registration of the domain name with the appropriate registry (i.e. “.com, .net” etc.). The contact information published in WHOIS is that of proxy entity. Contractually the customer is afforded control over the domain name. Emails intended for the customer are received by the proxy entity who may filter them if the customer requests. Emails sent by the customer are sent to the proxy entity who in turn sends them to the indicated addressee.

Claims

1. A proxy domain name registration system comprising:

(a) a registrar installation including;

(i) means for receiving domain name registration requests from customers,

(ii) means for communicating a registration request to a registry including a domain name and domain owner personal contact information,

(iii) means for communicating a domain name and personal contact information to a proxy domain owner, and

(iv) means for storing domain owner contact information,

(b) a proxy installation including;

(i) means for receiving and storing personal contact information communicated to the proxy installation by the registrar installation, and

(ii) means for communicating proxy personal contact information to the registrar,

(c) said registrar installation being responsive to the communication of personal contact information by the proxy installation to;

(i) submit a registration request and the proxy personal contact information from the proxy installation to a registry, and

(ii) store the proxy contact information in said means for storing domain owner contact information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the proxy installation further comprises means enabling the customer to signal a command to cancel proxy registration.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the means enabling the customer to signal a command to cancel includes means responsive to the customer'"'"'s signal of the command to cancel for automatically causing transfer of ownership to the customer by the registrar.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the proxy installation comprises means for passing email along to the customer.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising means for blocking one or more categories of email from reaching the customer.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the categories of email are selected from the group consisting of SPAM, unauthorized bulk email, unauthorized commercial email and pornography.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for receiving domain name registration requests from customers comprises means for receiving requests from any of individuals, businesses, and other entities, and the means for communicating a domain name and personal contact information to a proxy comprises means for communicating personal contact information of customers that are any of individuals, businesses, and other entities.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the customers are individuals.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the customers are entities.

10. A proxy domain name registration system including:

(a) a registrar computer installation;

(b) a proxy computer installation;

(c) the registrar computer installation establishing a web site;

(d) an interactive page on the web site enabling a customer to request the registration of a domain name;

(e) a message on a page on the web site prompting a customer to indicate whether proxy registration of a domain name is desired;

(f) a field on a page of the web site for a customer to enter a desired domain name;

(g) a connection for communicating from the registrar computer installation to the proxy computer installation;

(i) a request for proxy information for use in registering the domain name to a proxy, and

(ii) customer information;

(h) the proxy computer installation including a database in computer memory for storing in association a domain name and customer information;

(i) a connection at the proxy computer installation for communicating proxy information to the registrar computer installation;

(j) a registrar computer installation database in computer memory and adapted to store at least part of the proxy information in association with the domain name; and

(k) a registry-connecting communication connection at the registrar computer installation for sending to a domain name registry a request for registration of the domain name in the name of the proxy and at least a portion of the proxy information.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a communication input at the proxy computer installation for receipt of communications for customers.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the communication input at the proxy computer installation is a proxy web site having an interactive page enabling a customer to indicate cancellation of proxy registration.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the proxy computer installation is adapted to communicate a request for cancellation to the registrar when cancellation is requested by a customer and to forward to the registrar the relevant proxy domain name and associated customer information, the registrar computer installation being responsive to a request for cancellation from the proxy computer installation to contact the registry and effect a transfer of the domain name registration from the proxy to the customer and to supply at least a part of the customer information to the registry and replace in the database at the registrar computer installation at least a portion of the proxy information with at least a portion of the customer information.

14. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a proxy email server adapted to receive email, said proxy information including a proxy email address, the registrar computer installation publishing the proxy email address in association with a domain name, whereby email intended for the customer is directed to the proxy email server.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the interactive page enables a request for registration by customers that are any of an individual, business and other entities, and the connection for communicating from the registrar computer installation to the proxy computer installation communicates personal contact information of the customer that can be any of an individual, business and other entity.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the customer is an individual.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the customer is an entity.

18. A method of domain name registration comprising:

(a) providing a computer installation accessible via a computer network,

(b) receiving from customers domain name requests directed to the computer installation via the computer network,

(c) offering customers a choice of proxy registration of the domain names,

(d) receiving proxy registration requests in response to step (c),

(e) forwarding domain names and customer information to a proxy,

(f) receiving proxy contact information from the proxy,

(g) registering the domain names with a registry, and

(h) providing proxy contact information to the registry for each domain registered by proxy registration.

19. The method of domain name registration according to claim 18, further comprising:

(i) requesting customer contact information from customers requesting proxy registration,

(j) transferring to the proxy for storage by the proxy the customer contact information in association with domain names registered by proxy.

20. The method of domain name registration according to claim 19, further comprising:

(k) storing proxy contact information in association with the domain names registered by proxy.

21. The method of domain name registration according to claim 20, further comprising:

(1) directing to the proxy electronic communications addressed to a domain name registered by proxy.

22. The method of domain name registration according to claim 18, further comprising providing a cancellation procedure to customers.

23. The method of domain name registration according to claim 22, in response to each cancellation procedure, transferring ownership of a domain name registration by proxy to the customer.

24. The method of domain name registration according to claim 22 further comprising:

(i) retrieving customer contact information from the proxy, and

(ii) transferring customer contact information to the registry at which the domain name is registered.

25. The method of domain name registration according to claim 18, wherein the customers of steps (b), (c) and (e) are any of individuals, business and other entities.

26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the customers are individuals.

27. The method according to claim 18, wherein the customers are entities.

28. The method according to claim 18, wherein the computer network is the Internet.

29. The method according to claim 18, wherein steps (f) receiving proxy contact information from the proxy and (g) registering the domain names with a registry are performed during the same communication session between the computer installation and the customer.

30. A domain name by proxy computer program comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable code executable by a computer thereon and including:

(a) a web site defining program including programming for;

(i) receiving from a customer at the web site a domain name registration request,

(ii) offering to the customer at the web site a registration by proxy option,

(iii) receiving customer contact information,

(b) a communication program for communicating with a registry including programming for;

(i) communicating a domain name, registration request and registrant information to the registry, and

(c) a communication program for communicating with a proxy including programming for;

(i) requesting proxy information for use in association with a domain name registration request.

31. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 30, wherein the communication program for communicating with a registry comprises programming associating at least a portion of the proxy information and forwarding that to the registry with the domain name to be registered.

32. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 31, further comprising a programming to store in memory at least a further portion of the proxy information in association with the domain name.

33. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 32, wherein the at least a portion of the proxy information forwarded to the registry includes the identity of the proxy.

34. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 33, wherein the at least a further portion of the proxy information stored in memory includes proxy contact information.

35. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 34, wherein the proxy contact information includes proxy email address.

36. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 30, wherein the communication program for communicating with a proxy includes programming for forwarding to the proxy customer information.

37. The domain name by proxy computer program of claim 36, wherein the customer information includes customer contact information.

38. The domain name by program computer program of claim 36, wherein the customer contact information includes customer email address.

39. The domain name by proxy computer program according to claim 30, wherein the web site receives requests and customer information from customers that include individuals, businesses and other entities.

40. The domain name by proxy computer program according to claim 30, wherein the customer is an individual.

41. The domain name by proxy computer program according to claim 30, wherein the customer is an entity.

42. Programming for a proxy entity in a proxy domain name registration system comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable code executable by a computer thereon and including:

(a) communications programming enabling a computer to receive;

(i) a domain name;

(ii) a request for proxy domain name registrant information; and

(iii) customer information for a customer that has requested proxy domain name registration;

(b) a database;

(c) programming to store in the database the customer information in association with the domain name;

(d) programming to retrieve the domain name and customer information; and

(e) further communications programming enabling the computer to send to a registrar;

(i) the proxy information to be used in registering a domain name in the name of the proxy.

43. The programming according to claim 42 further comprising:

(f) web site programming to establish an interactive web site for communication with the proxy.

44. The programming according to claim 43, wherein the web site programming includes a page for receiving a request for cancellation of a proxy registration.

45. The programming according to claim 44, further comprising programming responsive to the request for cancellation of the proxy registration to cause the retrieval of the customer information associated with the proxy domain name registration to be cancelled, and to cause the further communication programming to send the retrieved customer information to the registrar.

46. A proxy domain name registration system including:

(a) a computer installation,

(b) the computer installation establishing a web site;

(c) an interactive page on the web site enabling a customer to request the registration of a domain name;

(d) a field on a page of the web site for a customer to enter a desired domain name;

(e) a message on a page on the web site prompting a customer to indicate whether proxy registration of a domain name is desired;

(f) computer installation programming operative in response to a customerts indication of a desire for proxy registration to associate proxy registrant information with the domain name;

(g) a database in computer memory for storing in association with customer information at least one of the domain name and the proxy information, and

(h) a registry-connecting communication connection at the computer installation for sending to a domain name registry a request for registration of the domain name in the name of the proxy registrant and at least a portion of the proxy registrant information.

47. The system according to claim 46, further comprising a communication input for receipt of electronic communications for customers.