Alpnames shuts down: Top Stories
A big story of 2019 was when a domain name registrar shut down without warning.
What would you do if your domain name registrar suddenly disappeared?
In 2019, domain name registrar Alpnames shut its doors without notice. ICANN subsequently stepped in to revoke its accreditation.
This left domain holders in limbo, losing access to their domains and even the ability to change nameservers and undertake other critical functions.
The demise of Alpnames came regarding a year following the firm pitched a fresh beginning. It had ties to fresh top level domain name firm Famous Four Media, and FFM’s Ian Roache took over. He purchased a further 20% of the firm’s share capital for “consideration” of £3.9 million. His stated goal was to turn it into a Tier 1 registrar.
I remember talking to Alpname’s outside PR firm at the time. They pitched that the firm was going to grow and become a big registrar. I started asking questions and got no good answers. I told the person I’d wait a year and see what happened.
Alpnames was known for cheap prices, and there’s a lesson here. Don’t choose a registrar based solely on price; consider the reputation of the firm and its owners.
