Patent ID: 7490124

Claim:
A method of internet domain name management comprising the steps of: establishing a contractual relationship with a domain name registrar to obtain priority in re-allocation of a domain name registration sponsored by the registrar after expiration of a current registration; establishing a web site interface for interaction with entities, the web site enabling an interested entity to identify a domain name of interest, wherein the identified domain name is registered in a selected registry and the registration of the identified domain name is sponsored by the said domain name registrar; enabling the interested entity to request a re-allocation of the domain name after expiration of the current registration; recording in a database identification of the registered domain name of interest; and after the registration of the domain name expires, but prior to purge of the domain name registration from the corresponding registry, accessing the database to identify the interested entity and re-allocating the domain name to the interested entity, whereby the interested entity becomes a new registrant of the domain name and the domain name registration is not purged from the registry; wherein the re-allocating step includes updating the identity of the registrant of the domain name in the records of the sponsoring registrar to reflect the interested entity as the new registrant.