RSSBottle Domains unauthorised transfers
On 8 May 2009, Australian Style Pty Ltd trading as Bottle Domains sent an email to its resellers and customers advising that their domain names would be transferred to another registrar, known as Bottle Domains Pty Ltd .On 9-11 May 2009, approximately 20,000 domain names were transferred from Australian Style Pty Ltd trading as Bottle Domains to Bottle Domains Pty Ltd. On transfer, all the Domain Name Passwords were changed.
auDA has found that these actions:
• breached the Transfers (Change of Registrar of Record) Policy (2003-03), because Bottle Domains Pty Ltd did not obtain the registrants’ consent to the transfer of their domain names; and
• breached the Domain Name Password Policy (2002-29), because Bottle Domains Pty Ltd did not obtain the registrants’ consent to change their Domain Name Passwords.
Accordingly, auDA has reversed the transfer of all domain names back to Australian Style Pty Ltd trading as Bottle Domains.
To protect registrants’ domain names, auDA has also:
• changed the Domain Name Passwords
• “transfer locked” the domain names so that they cannot be transferred to another registrar without the registrants’ consent.
auDA has sent an email to all affected registrants explaining what has happened, and notifying them of their new Domain Name Password.
auDA is continuing to investigate the events of 8-11 May, and will take further action as appropriate.