Ownership (or more precisely, control) of domain names is granted for a limited period of time, subject to the appropriate registration or renewal fees being paid. Once the owner of a domain name declines to pay the renewal fee to maintain their registration, that domain name will expire - that is, it will eventually be deleted and returned to the "pool" of unregistered names.
While originally domain names were registered for a fixed period of 2 years, most Registrars now offer the option of registering a domain name for a period of 1-10 years, often with substantial discounts for extended registrations
A domain name that is approaching its renewal date is said to be "expiring soon" and a domain name that has passed its renewal date (also known as its "expiry date" - it's just a matter of perspective!) without the renewal fee being paid is said to have "expired".
Expired domains solicit a lot of interest since essentially they form a new supply of domain names returning to the market, sometimes for the first time in many years...
Once a domain name has expired and been deleted, it is available to be re-registered by anyone. It is at the exact moment of deletion that the real battle begins for the control of the newly-available names - a battle that can only have one winner.
Before we look more closely at the process for "grabbing" (i.e. securing the rights to) an expiring domain name, and the tools and services available to improve the odds of obtaining the desired name, it is worth taking a closer look at the domain name expiry and deletion cycle.
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