Abuse reported to registrars and web hosting service providers commonly includes complaints for practices such as intellectual property (including copyright and trademark) infringement, libel, harassment, malware, spam, phishing, and other matters.
Not all complaints received by Epik are valid complaint communications that will require corrective action. Examples include but are not limited to the following cases and scenarios:
- If Epik cannot confirm, verify or determine the substance of the complaint with specificity, Epik will be unlikely to take any corrective action.
- In some cases, if Epik cannot verify the complainant’s identity or authenticate the complaint or any of its supporting evidence, it may take no corrective action.
- Activities that are outside Epik’s prescribed prohibited uses of its services are also not subject to corrective action; complaints about customer content or activities that Epik does not prohibit will not be acted upon.
- Incomplete or misdirected complaints may cause slower response times to legitimate and correctly submitted complaints.
Epik’s policy is to share all information received in connection with properly submitted complaints with its customers, except where otherwise required by law.
When you use our website (“Site”), you signify your agreement to the terms and conditions contained in this Abuse Policy, Universal Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy and all other policies or agreements which are applicable to our services, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
General Policy on Non-Censorship and Free Expression
Epik does not and will not knowingly assist its registrants or other customers in the commission of acts that are unlawful or violates its Terms of Service. Please follow the guidelines below when reporting abuse so that Epik can effectively investigate and respond to your complaint.
Web Hosting Versus Domain Name Services
Epik’s chief services are domain name services and web hosting services.
Website hosting and content publishing are activities that are distinct from domain name registration, management, and transfer services. Hosting and publishing activities are governed by a separate body of laws in most countries, which have little or no relationship to, the law rules and regulations governing the domain management. Therefore, complaints about website hosting and or publishing content are advised to direct complaints first to the host or publisher of the content.
Epik’s service offerings fall into one of three (3) categories:
- Epik domain service registrants/customers who also utilize Epik’s web hosting services,
- Epik domain service registrants/customers who do not utilize Epik’s web hosting services, and
- Epik web hosting service customers who obtain domain services elsewhere.
Prior contacting Epik regarding a complaint of abuse, complainants should first determine which category above applies.
To determine whether Epik is the domain name registrar, visit https://www.epik.com/whois or by using a domain hosting checker.
Please note that in some cases, the Whois information may not identify the hosting provider (for example, where a reverse proxy service is being used) or lead to to an abusive DNS resource. In addition you may forward your complaint to the abuse contact provided on the Whois report for the domain name.
Where Epik is merely serving as the domain name registrar, Epik’s means and access to content that may be subject to this Abuse Policy is likely very limited. For that reason, complainants should seek first to address their complaints with the website host or other content publisher. Web hosts and publishers have relationships with site owners and publishers that extend beyond the scope of rights and responsibilities or a domain services provider. Web hosts and publishers have relationships with site owners and publishers that extend beyond the scope of rights and responsibilities of a domain services provider.
In all cases, the most effective approach for obtaining relief in connection with abusive content is to provide the domain services provider or host with a court or administrative order, or some other mechanism of legal, due process.
Procedure for Reporting Abuse
The following list explains the most common types of abuse we investigate and the required evidence we expect from you to support our investigation:
| Type of Abuse and Description | Useful Evidence | Notes and Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Child Abuse is adult content depicting minors (someone under 18 years of age). | – Abusive Domain(s) – Abusive URL(s) | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Copyright/DMCA is the content that is protected by copyright being published online with no authorization rights. | An official DMCA Takedown Notice that meets all the DMCA requirements set out in our Terms of Service. | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Email Abuse / Spam is an unsolicited commercial bulk email. This also includes “spamvertising,” i.e. advertising domains via spam sent from another network. Legitimate emails are those complying with the requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act. | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Abusive URL(s) – Target of the attack (legitimate website) – Country your IP address belongs to (the content may be geo-blocked, so we will try using the corresponding proxy); – User-agent (mobile phone, PC) and browser (the content may vary depending on the device and software) | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Fraud is wrongful deception with the intent to gain a monetary benefit (also known as the scam) or other benefits (i.e. access to personal details). | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Abusive URL(s) – Paid invoices or receipts – Screenshot of the abusive page – Email with full header and body (in case of email fraud) | If you believe you are the victim of an internet crime, or if you are aware of an attempted crime, you can file a complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center. You may contact your lawyer(s) or your local authorities in order to get the issue resolved. Click here to report this case to us. |
| Phishing is a type of fraud with the intent to acquire sensitive information (usernames, passwords, PINs, credit card or bank account details) using fake websites that are almost identical to legitimate ones. | – Abusive Domain Name(s) Abusive URL(s) – Target of the attack (legitimate website) – Country your IP address belongs to (the content may be geo-blocked, so we will try using the corresponding proxy); – User-agent (mobile phone, PC) and browser (the content may vary depending on the device and software) | If you clicked on a link or opened an attachment from a suspected phishing email, then you should run a virus check on your computer just to be safe. Click here to report this case to us. |
| Illegal Pharmacy is a website that sells or distributes medications with no valid prescription, outdated, substituted or counterfeit medications, thus violating the law. | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Abusive URL(s) – Screenshot of the abusive page | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Malware is a software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive data, or gain access to private computer systems. | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Abusive URL(s) | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Hacking Activity is networking attacks such as port scanning, brute force, denial of service attacks, etc. with the intent to infect or exploit the victim’s resources, or for other illegal purposes. | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Abusive URL(s) – Abusive IP address – Date and time (including the time zone) of when the abuse took place – Full unmasked log of the attack generated by your firewall (with the source and destination IPs/domains, user-agent, timestamps and time zone) | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Trademark Infringement is the unauthorized use of a trademark or service mark on or in connection with goods and/or services in a manner that is likely to cause confusion, deception, or mistake about the source of the goods and/or services. | A formal notice of a trademark complaint that meets all the requirements set out in our Terms of Service. | In case of a trademarked domain name, we recommend you to seek resolution through the UDRP or URS. For more information, please visit Have a Problem? Dispute Resolution Options – ICANN. Click here to report this case to us. |
| Whois Inaccuracy implies inaccurate, outdated or false contact details listed in Whois.s | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Incorrect Contact Details – A returned email with the header | Click here to report this case to us. |
| Abuse Reports stand for any other inappropriate content, including but not limited to: identity theft, unauthorized redirect/frame/IP pointing, defamation, terrorism propaganda, HYIP, warez, etc. | – Abusive Domain Name(s) – Abusive URL(s) – Screenshot of the respective abusive page | Click here to report this case to us. |
Please see: https://rrsg.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Guide-to-Registrar-Abuse-Reporting-v1.8.pdf in reference to providing abuse evidence to Epik LLC.
Essential information for all abuse complaints includes information about who, what, where, when, and why:
Who is reporting the abuse?
Include:
- Contact details
- Your relationship, if relevant, to the complaining person(s) or organization(s
- Your authority to act for the complainant person or organization, including any representation/representative capacity, official capacity, etc.
What is being reported?
- Describe the abuse you’re reporting. Matters such as context, extent, severity, kind of harm, etc., are relevant.
- Also, what is the process for recreating or revisiting the abusive content? Is a simple link sufficient, or is there a more elaborate chain of commands necessary to view the content?
- What is the history of your complaint? Did you contact the web host or publisher, or another registrar?
Where is the content found?
- Domain name and specific subdomain(s)
- Specific URL’s
- Provide the names and legal jurisdiction of the registrar, web hosting service provider and domain name owner or other publisher. If known, provide the names and legal jurisdiction of the registrar, web hosting service provider, domain name owner, or other publishers.
When did the abuse occur, for how long did it last, and is it ongoing?
- Include the date and time you became aware of the abuse and other relevant date and time information if you possess it.
- Include any information you have about when the domain name was registered or the offending site or publisher began its service.
- Please include any information about when the domain name was registered or when the offending site or publisher began its service.
- Include the date and time you became aware of the abuse and other relevant date and time information if you possess it
Why are you reporting the abuse?
- Are you a victim (as in the case of doxxing, phishing, spam, or malware)?
- Do you feel someone else is being victimized or exploited?
- Do you believe the abuse is criminal in nature?
- Are you requesting a suspension or nameserver change (to disable services) or a transfer lock (to prevent a registrar change)?
Evidence to support the complaint includes:
- Links that directly support the complaint and/or contain the abuse.
- Legible screenshots and Links to published content or other information.
- History of your correspondence regarding the complaint, including responses, with—
- Other registrar(s).
- Other web hosting service providers.
- Domain name owner.
- Court or administrative order, or other elements of legal, due process, if any.
DO NOT forward material that is criminal to possess or transfer, including photographs or depictions of abuse to children. All complaints about child abuse should be delivered to law enforcement and the appropriate national authority(ies). Epik will take action on the relevant domain in accordance with the direction of the national authority(ies).
Phishing, Spam & Malware
Some abuses result from a bad actor accessing a legitimate domain registrant’s web hosting account, and altering or maliciously programming all or a portion of the account, the site, its email functionalities, or other services or resources. The legitimate registrant and/or site owner, in many cases, is initially unaware of the abuse occurring in connection with the affected domain name and site.
There are significant limitations on Epik’s abilities to take corrective action in response to these forms of abuse:
Unless Epik is also the web hosting services provider, Epik may be unable to take action on a reported complaint, especially when the abuse cannot be validated internally or through an independently verifiable and trustworthy source.
Epik may only be able to counter spam messaging when the spam is a delivery vehicle for a different form of abuse, such as phishing, or when Epik receives clear evidence of financial fraud used in conjunction with the domain name registration, if Epik is the domain name registrar.
There are additional requirements for reporting these types of abuse:
Phishing
- Indicate the name of the domain, business, or brand the phish is mimicking.
- Provide an example of the phishing email, including the full email header and envelope information.
Spam
- Provide an example of the spam email, including the full email header and envelope information.
Malware
- Provide some descriptive evidence of the distribution of malware.
Intellectual Property Infringement – Trademark
Infringing Epik’s or others’ intellectual property rights is a violation of Epik’s Terms of Service and Registration Agreement.
If you believe the domain name itself infringes a trademark, you should first review this informational page on ICANN’s site. ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution (“UDRP”) is the best resolution for trademark infringement scenarios. In cases of clear-cut infringement, ICANN offers an expedited framework for intellectual property rights holders called Uniform Rapid Suspension (“URS”).
If the infringement occurs within the published content of an Epik customer, follow the guidelines for reporting abuse provided above.
As an alternative to ICANN procedures, you may pursue your rights in the United States judicial system and forward a court order to Epik. In most cases, Epik can only take corrective action with a binding order ruling from a court with proper jurisdiction or ICANN.
Intellectual Property Infringement – Copyright and the DMCA
Infringing others’ intellectual property rights is a violation of Epik’s Terms of Service and Registration Agreement.
Copyrighted material is protected under United States law by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 (the “Copyright Act”).
The DMCA—
- establishes protections for online service providers when their customers engage in copyright infringement,
- provides a “notice-and-takedown system” that allows copyright owners to inform online service
- providers about infringing material,
- encourages copyright owners to give greater access to their works in digital formats by providing them with legal protections against unauthorized access, and
- makes it illegal to provide false copyright management information (for example, names of authors and copyright owners, titles of works) or to remove or alter that type of information in certain circumstances.
Persons reporting copyright infringement to Epik should follow the DMCA procedures by filing a Copyright Act Section 512 Notice (or “DMCA Complaint”).
DMCA Complaint (or “DMCA Takedown Notification”)
If Epik is the hosting provider, it will do the following:
- Confirm that the DMCA complaint is valid and meets the Section 512 requirements.
- Contact the Epik customer regarding the complaint and discuss the next steps.
- If the customer fails to respond, Epik will temporarily remove the content/disable access to the content under dispute.
- Provide the Epik customer an opportunity to counter-notice the DMCA complaint.
DMCA Counter-Notice Procedure
If the Epik customer believes the complaint is defective or erroneous, and the use of the disputed material is not an infringement, Epik may encourage the customer to contact the complainant directly.
If no agreement is reached between the complainant and the Epik customer, the customer may submit a DMCA Counter-Notice to Epik within ten (10) business days from initial complaint, with required information, requesting reinstatement of the content. The Counter-Notice will be forwarded to the complainant. Epik is required by law to restore access to the material after not less than ten (10) and note more than (14) business days, unless the complainant informs Epik that the complainant has filed a court action against the Epik customer.Epik is required by law to restore access to the material after no more than (14) business days unless the complainant informs Epik that the complainant has filed a court action against the Epik customer