Information for the complainant

If you want to inform us about an abuse case, you can contact us by filling in the contact form. To be able to act carefully and faster, please send us the fraudulent domain name and the reasons why you consider the domain fraudulent.

As the domain registrar, we are allowed to act immediately in specific cases, such as DNS Abuse, while for others, we need to follow specific processes.

Examples of abuse that we can address immediately:

Phishing & Pharming

• Examples:
  • Fake websites imitating legitimate services (e.g., banks) to steal personal information.
  • Deceptive emails pretending to be from trusted sources to capture login details. Redirections from legitimate websites to frauudulent ones.

• What Evidence is Needed:
  • Full URLs of phishing sites or screenshots showing the fake website.
  • Example phishing emails with complete email headers (IP addresses, sender details).
• What Happens Next:
  • If phishing is confirmed, we will suspend the domain.
  • If evidence is insufficient, we will pass it on to the reseller or hosting provider for further investigation.

Malware and Botnets

• Examples:
  • Websites distributing malicious software (e.g., ransomware, spyware, trojans).
  • Domains controlling botnets used for illegal activities.
• What Evidence is Needed:
  • Malware scans, virus detection logs, or screenshots showing the malware behavior.
  • URLs linked to malware distribution or botnet control.
• What Happens Next:
  • We will suspend the domain if it is confirmed to be spreading malware. If the evidence relates to a specific hacked page, we will refer it to the reseller or hosting provider.

Examples of abuse that conditions need to be met for us to act:

Pharmacy & Drugs Complaints

• Examples of Abuse:
  • Websites selling illegal or unlicensed drugs without valid prescriptions.
  • Online pharmacies selling controlled substances like opioids.
• What Evidence is Needed:
  • Reports from law enforcement or government agencies.
  • Evidence that the pharmacy is operating without a valid license.
• Jurisdiction:
  • Action can only be taken if the jurisdiction of the report matches the jurisdiction of the domain holder and our company.
  • If jurisdictions do not align, the case needs to be referred to local authorities so they can send an official request for takedown, or resellers and hosting providers for further action.
• What Happens Next:
  • If all conditions are met and evidence is sufficient, the domain will be suspended.
  • If the evidence is insufficient or outside our jurisdiction, we suggest you to contact your local law enforcement or reach out to the hosting provider that can handle accurately specific content on their servers

Child Abuse Material

• Examples of Abuse:
  • Websites hosting or sharing illegal content involving minors.
• What Evidence is Needed:
  • Reports from trusted child protection organizations or law enforcement.
• What Happens Next:
  • The domain will be suspended upon verified requests from the above sources.
  • If no trusted authority can confirm, we will report it to the appropriate agencies for further investigation. At Openprovider we take CSAM allegations seriously and are committed to supporting the enforcement of legal standards regarding child safety online. However, as a registrar we are unable to validate allegations of CSAM, and we are also not allowed to ask our employees to confirm a CSAM abuse. We advise you to act fast and directly report CSAM to the appropriate law enforcement authority in your country by checking for your country in the official INHOPE website.

Intellectual Property (Trademark)

• Examples of Abuse:
  • Unauthorized use of trademarks, copyrights, or patents.
• What Evidence is Needed:
  • A valid court order or a complaint from a trusted authority (e.g., WIPO).
  • Special Note for India:
    • If the domain in question is registered under Indian jurisdiction, you may also file a complaint under the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy specific to India. We will act accordingly based on legal rulings from Indian authorities.

  • Evidence that the complainant is the trademark holder or an agent of the trademark holder

  • Reference to the relevant law under which the trademark abuse is alleged.

  • Clear URLs and paths of the infringement in question

• What Happens Next:
  • If a court order or ruling is provided, we will suspend the domain.
  • If the evidence is insufficient, we will guide you on how to proceed with official legal channels, such as the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).

Other Illegal Activities

• Examples of Abuse:
  • Online illegal activities encompass actions that are prohibited by law, similar to offline illegal activities, ranging from financial scam, illegal content distribution, cyberstalking, to selling contraband.
• What Evidence is Needed:
  • Specific requests from law enforcement, or court orders.
• What Happens Next:
  • As a registrar, we cannot act on these reports unless they involve phishing, malware, or other DNS abuses.
  • We recommend reporting illegal activity directly to law enforcement or contacting the hosting provider for faster resolution.

Examples of abuse we do not act:

Spam (Not Phishing or Malware)

• Examples of Abuse:
  • Mass-distributed unsolicited emails (e.g., marketing offers) that are irrelevant.
• What Evidence is Needed:
  • Email examples, including complete email headers (IP addresses, sender info).
• What Happens Next:
  • Domains will not be suspended for general spam unless linked to phishing or malware.
  • Please manage spam through your email provider or contact the hosting provider.

If after contacting us you see that the problem is still there, what you should do is submit a formal complaint to ICANN (https://www.icann.org/en/compliance/complaint) or WIPO (http://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html). Only upon a formal resolution, we will be able to delete or transfer a domain.

Information for the reseller

When we receive a complaint, we forward it to the reseller and mark the domain as "abusive". We will send an e-mail to the reseller informing him/her/them about the complaint. This e-mail contains a deadline.