(PRQ, etc) Anyone try registrars outside the U.S?

[I don't need hosting, all I need is a registrar.]

I have read countless post in Alternatives, but to no avail. It seems like, the only sensible action to do is take your domain registrar out of the U.S. For example, how does piratebay.org, and a lot of other border-line sites stay open? I don't operate sites like these, but it would be a safe place to have a registrar without losing any sleep. I searched google, and I get a lot of hosting companies which claim to be in another country, "offshore web hosting", but they are all in the United States.

I checked piratebay.org, and they point to prq.se. I went to their site via google translate: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=prq.se&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=sv&tl=en

Here is an article on them from New York Times.
"[...] And PRQ has gone out of its way to host sites that other companies would not touch. It is perhaps the worlds least lawyer-friendly hosting company "- New York Times

I don't need hosting, all I need is a registrar.
So how would I move domains to this registrar?

Anyone have an idea how to find out info?

Or a likely alternative to piratebay.org's registrar?

Thanks your help is greatly appreciated.

Charlesp

{edit: changed title}

Hi Charles:

A few outside of US registrars I am aware of:

gandi.net - Based in France, fairly good.

joker.com - Based in Germany, again fairly good.

www.domaindiscount24.net - Owned by key-systems, based in Germany, is registrar for piratebay.org.

"... and PRQ has gone out of its way to host sites that other companies would not touch. It is perhaps the worlds least lawyer-friendly hosting company"
-- New York Times
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5D7173CF936A15751C0A96E9C8B63&scp=1&sq=prq&st=nyt

Now that's a nice quote...

I'd say just e-mail PRQ them and ask. Most Swedes (every Swede I've ever met in fact) speak fluent English.

Mailing address:
     PRQ AB, Box 1206, SE-11479 Stockholm, SWEDEN (may also receive the package, bids, and courier mail)
Sales, issues and other matters:
     info@prq.se (note you *MUST* write INFO in the subject line to avoid their spam filter)

In my experience Swedes consider privacy and freedom of speech to be very important, so may be willing to help from that basis. (So in theory does the US Constitution, but as we've seen in the GoDaddy Kentucky and other cases sometimes these can take a back seat to vested commercial interests. Now particularly in the case of GoDaddy Kentucky we can expect that'll eventually be struck down as unconstitutional, but why should you have to wait for justice - and risk going broke hiring lawyers along the way?)

Please report back and let us know what you find out about PRQ. People often come to GoDaddy seeking recommendations but it's hard because most registrars and web hosts have an "Industry-standard" COUGH COUGH contract which says they can do with your web site whatever they want and you can't do anything about it. Others have commented they don't necessarily mean it: they're just covering themselves again law suits. Maybe, but it's still not very fair on you the paying customer: "I'll sell you this and if it breaks, hard luck, or if someone asks me to screw you over, and I do, also hard luck."

I'd prefer a registrar that said the domain we sell you is yours, period, and we won't take you down without a court order SIGNED BY GOD and not some judge in the middle of nowhere who's tired and just wants to go home, or perhaps one like US District Judge Jeffrey White goes whacko crazy and subpoenas the thirteen moons of Jupiter in his chamber tomorrow morning at 9AM sharp OR ELSE. My personal favorite is U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper who thought she could issue a judicial proclamation ordering computers to archive their RAM activity. Was there some university study testing LSD on legal undergraduates I don't know about? But I digress...

Judge White's lack of internet savvy was in further evidence when he directed that a copy of his order be emailed to Wikileaks within 24 hours of the issuance of his order. The only problem there was that the suspending of Wikileaks.org prevented the organization's email system from working.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/21/wikileaks_bulletproof_hosting/

Here's PRQ's Wiki. They clearly offer hosting services. Ask about registering your domain name

Gottfrid Svartholm are said to have amassed "considerable expertise in withstanding legal attacks from powerful corporate interests". Svartholm is quoted to have said "We do employ our own legal staff. We are used to this sort of situation"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRQ

Here's a translation of the http://prq.se home page (I found them by doing a WHOIS on thepiratebay.org on the internic.net)

This is an (surprisingly good) automatic translation via Google Translate. If you have problems with any specific part, let me know.

PRQ INET - PRQ.SE

prq Inet

"[...] And PRQ has gone out of its way to host sites that other companies would not touch. It is perhaps the worlds least lawyer-friendly hosting company "- New York Times
To all customers!

PRQs activities have now been sold to a group of foreign investors. Activities will continue just as before but the daily operation will not be handled by the same people except for a transitional period. The main difference will be that it now has much better resources. More information will follow shortly. Do you have any questions, you are väkommen to contact us.
News

Now we sponsoring the global IRC network EFNet with a server that is on co-location with us with gigabit connectivity. The units irc.swepipe.se (alternatively irc.prq.se). We recommend that our customers who chats on EFNet primarily use it.
Co-location clients can also have a direct link to it on a VLAN, 667, which uses non-global-reach addresses. This requires that your OS / kernel supports VLAN - switch ports are not assigned for this purpose.
Operational Information

Operation status is moved to a mailing list. Please contact us if you want to get involved in it. All customers posted on the billing is automatically included.
SERVICES
Co-location

We offer co-location of 3 sites in the Stockholm area:
- In our own premises with good perimeter security, cooling, power supply (UPS) and fire protection.
- In Port80 in Hammarby and in Port80s new hall (BGC). However, note that you need a router for placement in BGC, and that it is currently selling stopped by Port80. Place on individual servers, however.

The servers are connected to the outside world through our own backbonenät (AS33837), who obviously has plenty of capacity and redundancy. We spend much of the network to keep good performance and be stable - even if for example DDoS attacks - and has a network in the class with much larger ISPer.
All the halls are fully redundant with physically separate fiber routes, and have emergency personnel on the ground in 1hr 24 / 7. Backbone network currently has four different transit providers.

Stated prices are for placement in our own hall. Are you interested in placement of Port80, please contact us for pricing information.

The guaranteed bandwidth is only a minimum level - under normal circumstances, you can use the port's full capacity, for example, during file transfers or visit peaks. You can instead choose a variable charge if you prefer.

Our rack is standard Compaq / Rittal that in principle all the rails fits in. Note that rack rails are an absolute requirement, in addition to the mini-co-location.

At work (such as rebooting) outside office hours will 800kr / h plus any reskostnad (taxi) if no one is present as emergency must be called.

If you have a need for greater amounts of bandwidth, contact us for the best price. We can offer very good prices on larger amounts of traffic, both within and outside Scandinavia.

A. SE-domain name included in all co-location packages.

The basic package:
     2U box or small desktop / tower
     100Mbps port, 300GB international traffic
     IP addresses as needed
     Reboots, setup-help, hardware replacement and easier troubleshooting
     DNS and Mail included
     Price: 500SEK/månad + VAT
The basic package 1U:
     1U box (rack box required)
     In addition to the basic package
     Price: 400SEK/månad + VAT
2st basic package 1U 1 U
     2 1U boxes (rack box required)
     In addition to the basic package of 2 pieces
     Price: 600SEK/månad + VAT
2st basic package 1U 2 U
     1U box + 2U box (rack box required)
     In addition to the basic package of 2 pieces
     Price: 750SEK/månad + VAT
Between Packages:
     4U-box or a large desktop / tower
     100Mbps port (full burstbar)
     1000GB transfer
     In addition to the basic package
     Price: 1500SEK/månad + VAT
Advanced package:
     4U-box or a large desktop / tower
     100Mbps port (full burstbar)
     10Mbps bandwidth guaranteed against Norden (equivalent to approximately 3200GB)
     In addition to the basic package
     Price: 2500SEK/månad + VAT
Advanced package - international traffic:
     4U-box or a large desktop / tower
     100Mbps port (full burstbar)
     10Mbps guaranteed international bandwidth (equivalent to approximately 3200GB)
     Price: 3500SEK/månad + VAT
Advanced package - international services, fixed-bandwidth
     4U-box or a large desktop / tower
     10Mbps port
     No limits in the amount of transmitted data
     Price: 2000SEK/månad + VAT
Extra bandwidth (prices apply <= 500GB):
     International traffic: 2SEK/GB + VAT alt. 600SEK/Mbps + VAT (average)
     Nordic traffic: 1SEK/GB + VAT alt. 300SEK/Mbps + VAT (average)
Rack space beyond what is included:
     250SEK/U/månad + VAT

Hardware Sales

In connection with that you sign co-location, we sell quality servers at very good prices. We are distributors for HP, Inventec and Litech. The server, while billed as the first co-location period. It is wholly owned by the customer, and say you entered the service we purchase, either by you or the server delivers it.
Please contact us for quotation on other configurations and brands.

We sell only quality hardware from well-known brands and deals not with us, for example, low-budget brands or hembyggen, but you are obviously still welcome to place such servers with us even though we strongly recommend that you select quality equipment instead.

Inventec has previously only produced for other brands on an OEM basis (mainly HP), but have now launched a series of servers with very good quality and high functionality. More information about Inventec servers.
The servers arm only with quality components and burn-in-tested under full load in the 24 hours before deployment.

We also sell hardware as co-location is not signed, but then the higher price. Leasing and installment plans are offered only when co-subscription of the co-location.

At present there is no price information on Inventec servers at home when our supplier is reviewing the range. Please contact us if you are interested in buying or renting Inventecservrar.

Tunnels (OpenVPN or GRE)

With a tunnel, you can get real static IP addresses with their own reverse and obstruct the bypass and monitoring of your ISP. You may also anonymity because all tracing only reaches to us. A tunnel could be used to run its own mail server, even if port 25 would be blocked. The service is also for those who want to run other servers at home, or example use IRC.

The tunnels works with most broadband subscriptions and operating systems. However, we recommend Linux or BSD for maximum functionality. No traffic or ports are blocked.

The basic package:
     1 static IP address
     Any reversal (DNS handled by us if you do not have their own DNS server)
     The bandwidth is limited to 128Kbps
     Price: 50 USD / month + VAT
Between Packages:
     No bandwidth limitation
     In addition to the basic package
     Price: 100 USD / month + VAT
Advanced package:
     4 static IP addresses
     No bandwidth limitation
     In addition to the basic package
     Price: 150 USD / month + VAT
Extra IP addresses:
     25SEK/månad + VAT per IP address
Encryption (AES/3DES):
     50SEK/månad + VAT

Webhosting

We offer Webhosting for more advanced users who value high performance and high functionality in templates and control panels. A. SE-domain name included in all webhostingpaket.

The basic package:
     1GB space
     30GB transfer / month
     Shell Access via SSH
     Support for PHP, CGI, SSI and MySQL (databases included in the total space)
     SSL support (shared certificate if you do not buy into their own IP address)
     DNS and Mail included
     Any number of domains can be linked to the same account
     Price: 100 USD / month + VAT
Own IP address and httpd:
     50SEK/månad + VAT

Consulting

We offer consulting services in operation, security, database management, software development and implementation. This is done mainly in connection with the purchase of network services from us, but we can also take the mission completely independent. Contact us for price examples and quotes.
MORE INFORMATION
If the company - PRQ AB

We are a small and flexible company that can provide the most services and price ranges - anything from a simple cough to be fully operational management of your servers - so if the above package does not suit you, do not hesitate to contact us.

We are proud that we respect our customers' privacy, the privacy and confidentiality. No monitoring is done except what is necessary to ensure the operation and performance. We are great friends of free speech and free trade and let our customers use it fully within the boundaries of the law, regardless of how odd, unpopular, sensational or controversial activities. As a result, our agreements no clauses prohibiting example obscene, offensive or pornographic material. All of our services may also be used for commercial purposes, also sold, or shared among multiple users.

Of course fits our services as good if you are an ordinary customer uncontroversial. Thanks to our low prices, good support, and high-performance networks, a broad range of customers - from individuals to large corporations - benefit from our services.

20% discount on all prices at the full-year payment. Payment is otherwise monthly in advance (20 days net).

To order, contact us by e-mail (info@prq.se - write ORDER in case the line - otherwise the risk is great that your mail is lost in the large volume of spam) and enter the following:

- Exactly service you want. If you are unsure, ask us happy.
- To which e-mail invoices to be sent (and possibly your company name / address)

For co-location should be a written contract drawn up in connection with the server handed over, but not required.

Terms of contract for our services: Open Office DOC TXT
Contracts for our services: Open Office DOC TXT
PGP public key (Fingerprint 7E3A B363 B1F4 5FC3 D109 EE6F 9873 38F4 4F10 9CDC) (note that the old are revokerad and NOT to be used)
PGP key is also stored in RIPE and running by doing whois on PGPKEY-4F109CDC of server whois.ripe.net.
Contact

Telephone number:
     +46 (0) 8 50003150 - office, official telephone weekdays, 12-18Nytt issue when the takeover is completed. Use the mobile number.
     +46 (0) 76 8103948 - answered 24 / 7 but the best times are 10-22
     24 / 7 emergency number given only to customers or others who need it. Please contact us if you are a customer and not received it.
Visitors and deliveries:
     Only after an appointment by phone or mail.
Mailing address:
     PRQ AB, Box 1206, SE-11479 Stockholm, SWEDEN (may also receive the package, bids, and courier mail)
Sales, issues and other matters:
     info@prq.se (write-INFO in the subject line - otherwise the risk is great that your mail ports including spam) Are you interested in a service so you do email me or call.
Finance, billing, customer care, administration:
     ekonomi@prq.se (write ECONOMY in case the line)
All legal matters:
     legal@prq.se (enter LEGAL in case the line)

This is an (surprisingly good) automatic translation via Google Translate. If you have problems with any specific part, let me know.

Finally for a good laugh, head over to ThePirateBay's legal page. These guys are hosted at PRQ. Now that's Lawyer Proof! http://thepiratebay.org/legal

[NEW DOMAIN]

Thanks guys,

I checked out legal threats made to thepiratebay.org. Thanks for pointing it out!!! Now, this is what I want! Freedom, until a court order says otherwise. Technology changes and until laws can catch up with technology, we shouldn't be suppressed here in the US or the world, because of technological advances! GoDaddy supremacy enforces their co. policy which affects our rights directly! There are NO "Bill of Rights" here in the US, we are all brainwashed to thinking we still have constitutional rights! Man, I can go on and on. Those legal letters on piratebay.org really fired me up!

As, far as PRQ.se, I have emailed them, and they haven't responded. With out going into details, it's probably because I asked if they can be our registrar. And so in the translation it says they are a hosting co., and no mention of a registrar. So I went to http://www.domaindiscount24.net which is based in Germany, and is the registrar for piratebay.org (like Rohan mentioned). I am going to purchase a domain and run tests. I will post my ongoing experience on this thread.

These are some experiments I will do:

NEW DOMAIN
I will purchase a new non important domain with domaindiscount24.
Reason, I don't want to lose a valuable domain in this test, and see how this all works with new domains.

TRANSFER DOMAIN
I will also, transfer another domain to domaindiscount24 from GoDaddy
Reason, I want to see how they handle transfers

WHOIS
Aside from the email I will place wrong info in the WHOIS, and have a friend report me
I want to see how they handle this (very important)

COPYRIGHT
I will host the site here in the US, and publish blatant copyrighted material from a friend's website, and have that friend report me
I want to see how they handle these matters (also, very important)

OTHERS
And I will do other tests, as they come
I'll also post them here

Ok, aside from these test, I would also like to know if anyone has any requests or tips as far as conducting this experiment.

CODE NAME: Dawn to Dusk. he he he  Wink

CharlesP

{Oops - editing mistake - had to restore this message from backup}

Definitely keep us posted, I've considered moving some domains to domaindiscount24 myself...just haven't gotten around to it.

Thanks for reporting back, charlesP. Very interested in the results of your experiment. Putting in false address, getting someone to report you and see what happens? Now *THAT* is true scientific method! Like I said, every Swede I've ever met has spoken excellent English, but if you have any problems I can get a manual translation for you.

I assume you're right about them not doing domain registration: If they did, thepiratebay.org wouldn't be at http://www.domaindiscount24.net

http://www.domaindiscount24.net list their prices as 9 Euro; that's US$12. If the extra $2 buys you proper ownership of your domain, it's worth it. More so if you have a business. BTW Currency converter: http://www.xe.com

Please let us know how you go. If they work out, I'd be nice to finally be able to recommend a registrar/host that saves people from all the domain  suspended/investigated/cancelled headaches a la GoDaddy.

[CODE NAME:]

Thanks for the support guys.

CODE NAME: Dawn to Dusk.

Registrar:
domaindiscount24.net (Key-Systems GmbH)

Expirement 1:
NEW DOMAIN
I will purchase a new non important domain with domaindiscount24 (Key-Systems GmbH)
Reason, I don't want to lose a valuable domain in this test, and see how this all works with new domains.

Results:
Checkout
Very streamlined purchasing process.
Very minimal cross selling at checkout.
They give you the option at checkout if you want to park your page in an advertisement.

Control Panel
Control Panel is very easy to understand.
Control Panel stays open in one window.
Control Panel session time is shown with a countdown, i.e. "This session expires in xx minutes"
Records update and propagates almost instantly on WhoIs, i.e. 'A' record for IP Address, Contact info., NameServers, etc..

Summary
I was pessimistic at first, but what a sigh of relief. Their registrar processes made me feel very confident with registering, purchasing, and updating domain. If you are new to registering and operating a site, domaindiscount24.net (Key-Systems GmbH) makes it easy. They don't give you a million and one confusing options, they give you a million and two "very easy" to understand options. Where you don't feel pressured to purchase additional unneeded options. They don't try to sell you stuff you don't need. I went to purchase a domain, and I left with a domain from an accredited registrar.

So far, it's been great experience with domaindiscount24 (Key-Systems GmbH)!

I'll post my next experiment (Transfer Domain) asap.

But in the mean time, if you are a n00b, the following information can prove useful.

Read more
Let me get something straight. If you are a newcomer to operating a web site, do not use GoDaddy- learn from our experience here. For a $12.00 a year charge from domaindiscount24.net (Key-Systems GmbH), you can own and run an unlimited bandwidth complete web site, all you need is:

1. A registrar like domaindiscount24.net (Key-Systems GmbH).
Cost is 12 a year for your domain name

2. Any home  computer or even a laptop with min. 512mb ram; pentium 3 or pentium 4; and a nic 10/100. And set it up as a server by formatting windows xp and installing the free "Ubuntu Gutsy" linux (on install choose the LAMP option). Or get the most recent release of Ubuntu Server.
Cost free, since you probably already have a junk computer laying around.

3. A static IP which sometimes comes free with a business class ISP pkg (or use No-IP.com or Dyndns.org free if you plan to use a dynamic IP which is what most home dsl and cable ISP providers give you).
Cost is free, since you already have an internet connection at home


So with this setup, you can run your own server for $12 year and never worry about bandwidth overages, any hosting co payments., and you are your own hosting co. (your own boss) You can even charge other people to host their website on your ubuntu server, he he

The best part about this, you never have to worry about dealing with GoDaddy's illegal abusive co. policy or ms windows limitation on websites you can have. So now you are off on an awesome start!

Good Luck and please check back on my next experiments.

CharlesP

Thanks for the update, charlesp. Please let us know how it turns out.

I would like to hear your update charlesp, because I didn't have a good experience with them. After reading this forum, I decided to buy a domain name with dd24. Everything was good until after I tried paying. I used a debit card. The status of the domain name after 24 hours was "payment pending" cvc2 check pending. I tried contacting them, but no reply after another 24 hours. 48 hours after the original registration, I contacted them again. This morning I got an email from them. I can't quote the email since they said I wasn't allowed to publish any of the email.

But the email said that they blacklisted my IP as well as my cc! For no apparent reason they blacklisted me! If I want to register the domain, I have to do a wire transfer to them.

I know you don't like godaddy, but at least the payments are instant.

Yes you can quote the email. If there was any wording through the order screens that says you couldn't as part of your domain contract, it doesn't affect you, since they never sold you the domain.

I just wrote a post at:

http://forums.nodaddy.com/index.php?topic=52.0

About building a registry here in the Philippines where I retired to and where labor is cheap.  Sort of a "NoDaddy" Registrar or Caring Registrar!

There are lots of advantages to build it here. If you are interested read the other thread.

If people are really interested.  My experience goes back to ARPANET - if you don't know what that was, you are a Newbie!