It is a common story in small business: a company hires a developer or agency to build a website, and for convenience they register the domain in their own name and account. While things work, nobody worries. The problem appears when the collaboration ends, the developer stops answering or starts asking for extra money. That is when the company realises that the domain carrying its brand legally belongs to someone else.
Find out who actually owns the domain
The legal owner is the contact listed at registration, the registrant. What counts is not who paid or who built the site but the registry record. Start by checking the domain via WHOIS. Many zones hide personal data for privacy, but the registrar and registration and expiry dates are usually visible. The second command below shows which DNS servers the domain uses, which tells you who controls it technically.
whois example.uz
dig NS example.uz +shortTry to settle it calmly first
Often the developer meant no harm and simply registered the domain the way that was easiest. Begin with a calm, formal written request stating that the domain was registered on the company's order and with its money and must now be moved to the company. A letter beats a verbal agreement because it can later serve as evidence. For example, the owner of a furniture shop in Tashkent who ordered a site from a freelancer three years ago sent such a letter with copies of receipts and chats, and within a week the domain was moved to the shop's account. Most cases end this simply.
How ownership is transferred technically
Once agreed, two processes may be involved: changing the registrant details so your company or its director is listed as owner, and moving the domain to your account or to another registrar. Usually you need both.
- In international zones the domain is unlocked and an authorisation (EPP or auth) code is issued for transfer.
- A registrant change may trigger a confirmation email and, in some zones, a temporary transfer restriction.
- In the .uz zone the owner is changed based on documents the registrar requires, so ask for the list in advance.
As soon as the domain is in your account, verify the phone, email and owner name, then take over DNS, hosting and email.
If the developer refuses: collect evidence
If the developer does not reply or demands an unreasonable sum, gather documents proving the company's right to the domain:
- The development contract or specification, especially any clause about the domain.
- Receipts and bank statements for domain and hosting payments.
- Chats and emails showing the domain was being registered for the company.
- Company name or trademark registration documents.
- Examples of the domain used in your advertising, business cards and documents over the years.
Formal routes: a claim letter and dispute resolution
With evidence ready, send a formal claim stating your demand, a deadline and the steps you will take otherwise, using a delivery method that confirms receipt. This alone often works. If not, the dispute goes the legal route. International zones have the UDRP procedure for trademark holders, which requires proving a trademark and bad-faith use. Disputes over .uz domains follow the zone's own rules and Uzbek law. Either way, consult a lawyer specialising in intellectual property or IT law.
Protect the site while the dispute runs
The biggest risks during a dispute are the domain expiring or the developer changing DNS records. Watch the expiry date and make sure you have backups of the site files and database. Consider a fallback domain and keep your phone number and social media visible to customers so business does not stop.
Preventing it next time
Always register domains in the company's own account and in the name of the company or its director. Give developers access to DNS or hosting, not ownership. In the sayt.uz cabinet the domain, hosting and email sit in one account, so if the account belongs to the company, so does control. Add a contract clause that the domain is registered to the client and all passwords are handed over when the work ends, and review domain ownership and contacts once a year.