A double amputee let his domain expire. Someone bought it for online gambling.
Earlier this year, the domain name ScottRigsbyFoundation.org expired.
It was used by a double amputee who successfully competed in an Ironman Triathlon. These days he is also a motivational speaker.
The GoDaddy expired domain auction for the domain attracted multiple bidders and closed for $155 in February of this year.
The domain name itself doesn’t have much value to anyone other than the original registrant, but I’m sure it had some backlinks and good SEO. Some people buy expired domains for their SEO value and repurpose the website. I used to do this back in the mid-aughts.
But I’d never do something like this.
The domain buyer has apparently rebuilt the site as an online gambling information site. They even created a new logo calling it the Scott Rigsby Foundation.
That’s downright dirty. I couldn’t sleep at night if I did something like that.
Scott Rigsby is suing (pdf) over losing the domain, although I question the approach. He is suing GoDaddy in Georgia, claiming various parts of its contract aren’t valid and that he didn’t receive renewal notices for the domain.
I guess GoDaddy has money, but I don’t see this lawsuit going anywhere.
If the real goal is to get the domain back, Rigsby might do better by talking to a domain attorney who can walk him through options to get the domain either through a UDRP or via an in rem ACPA case in Virginia (assuming his claim that the registrant used false registration info is correct). I imagine he can easily show common law trademark rights in the term.
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Rigsby’s attorney is pursuing a path which will be unproductive.
Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where Mr Rigsby just doesn’t understand the basic concept of domains which has come to his detriment. When you buy a domain on Godaddy you’re paying upfront for the period of time you choose you wish to own the domain.
Godaddy would have contacted him multiple times regarding the renewal despite what he says, as it’s an automated process. Is there a possibility that system failed? Possibly, but I highly doubt it and still even if they didn’t send renewal/payment information, they still haven’t done anything wrong.
It’s clear from what he’s saying that he wasn’t keeping an eye on the domain in his account.
A domain registra is under no obligation to make sure you renew. They only do it because it obviously benefits them. This problem he’s stating has purely arisen because he believes Godaddy has some sort of obligation to keep him informed, which they do not.
The reality here is that the domain expired due to his lack of understanding of domains and it’s extremely unfortunate that a person with no morals bought the domain.
On a side note, he states that the they say the person who registered the domain provided false information. I’m not sure how they would know what information was provided?
I’m assuming they believe that the person who bought the domain doesn’t have a “scott rigsby foundation” and therefore shouldn’t be allowed to register it, because that’s false. Again though, that’s not really how domains work.
I believe they are referring to the information in Whois.
I though that but from what I can see the Whois is private.
Wonders what happens in the situation that fake details were used anyway. I mean, the original guy still had failed to renew regardless of who went on to register it with fake details, so it would no longer be his domain.
Godaddy would claim back ownership and put it back up for auction, I guess?
I looked it up today and it’s not
Andrew, why not reach out to him ?
Hopefully he would be greatfull to know there are more efficient options.
Could be Attorney is taking advantage too !
Cheers
Either the attorney is taking advantage or the attorney just has a basic lack of understanding of domain registrations also. To be honest, the person doesn’t have any options.
His domain expired, someone else picked it up.
He needs to change lawyers ASAP. The name is likely easily winnable for 5k at UDRP.
Regarding the site it just looks like something autogenerated, I doubt there was any logo specially created etc.
Inb4 the troll changes his legal name to Scot rigsbys
What exactly is so objectionable? The fact it’s a gambling related site? I don’t think that it is a case of not being able to sleep at night.
Whoever bought it bought it legitimately. They’re using it for whatever they thought it was useful for. Do we know whether or not he has even tried to get the domain back? It could be auto generated.
It’s the fault of the registrant for not renewing… now they’re being doxed on a domain news website.
I think you need to look up the definition of dox
The father of Amy Winehouse had problems with the domain name of her foundation. What sort of people are they? Giving grief to someone who has enough problems to deal with. Just take the domain away and give it to Scott.
Surely there’s a linguistic component. Repurposing dropped domains is about as smart as a child picking through garbage mounds, but…that happens on our watch, too.
Sites like BetDSI.eu have automated landing pages, logo generators, etc.
(https://www.clickswagger.com/images/templateImages/brand-betlucky.jpg). If one looks at the old Rigsby pages, at what appears (by photos) to be their generic sports news…and if one didn’t speak any English… Could some teenager in Mumbai just plug a dropped traffic domain’s textstring into an affiliate logo and page generator…with grenade results? It’s conceivable.
The punishment has to fit the crime, and one could become unemployable for life here. Google Translate is blocked in China, for instance… Isn’t this too outrageous to be intentional?