I was recently asked to update a website for a non-profit organization. They had a company design their old page, but would like me to update it for them to save some money. I am fairly certain that they can cancel their contract with this company at any time. How do I obtain the domain name? Once the contract is canceled, does this mean that the domain name is free?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Hi orangehead,
If the contract you are talking about is a contract for a domain name, then once the domain name contract with that company expires, the domain will become FREE FOR REGISTRATION – but not for you to go and get. Meaning, anyone can go and register that domain name once the old contract expires, but you still have to pay.
Hope this clarifies the situation for you.
Who currently owns the actual domain?
That is the key question. If the company owns the domain (very likely) then you don;t need to worry at all about the design firm, unless you want their source code. All you need is the server name, and the FTP password. If you need to transfer the web site to a new server, and RESOLVE the domain name to the new server, the process is straight forward, what is needed is to “unlock” the domain, move the files to the new server, set the new DNS records on the master DNS server (whatever that may be) and wait for about 3 days while the whole thing propigates its way around the globe. Most places will have picked up the ball within a few hours.
You actually can get a free domain!
http://www.GetYourFreeDomain.com is a great site that offers guides on how to get a free domain