Anyone who thinks to have legal claims for a certain .at-domain can request the Wait status for this relevant domain at the nic.at legal department.
Wait status = lock of the domain transfer
A domain which is subject to a Wait status remains technically operative and accessible. Website, e-mail and other services will also remain operative. It only becomes impossible to transfer the domain to a third party. This guarantees that the holder remains the same for the duration of the dispute. Thus, he can’t elude from his responsibility by transferring the domain to a different person. A domain cancellation is possible at any time.
How to request the Wait status
Please inform the nic.at legal department via letter or fax about the domain and your claimed rights, and include documents like copies from the register of companies or trademarks. If the claim is legally justified, Wait status 1 will be set and the applicant as well as the domain holder will be informed in writing.
Time limits and expiration
Wait status 1 remains effective for the duration of one month and can be extended on demand for one further month before the expiration. Within this period, the applicant and the domain holder have the possibility to settle the dispute out of court or to transfer the domain to the applicant, respectively. In this case the Wait status is cancelled, otherwise it will expire after the time limit without further notice.
Legal proceedings regarding domains
If a domain case is brought to court, Wait status 2 can be requested with nic.at. This status remains for the whole duration of the lawsuit.
Wait status is not a reservation
If the domain holder cancels a domain which is subject to the Wait status, it will not automatically be transferred to the applicant of the Wait status. The domain will be deleted after a technical lock of presumably 8 weeks and will be delegated according to the ‘first come – first served’ principle. The Whois-query can be used to check whether a domain is free.