Domain Terms & Conditions

These terms apply to any custom domain used with Inside Story, whether registered through us or connected from an external registrar. They cover the Inside Story Mail/ Newsletter domain add-on, the Author Website custom domain add-on, and any other domain-related features we may offer. They sit alongside our main Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. By registering or connecting a domain through Inside Story, you agree to everything below.

1. Two Ways to Use a Custom Domain

Inside Story supports two types of custom domain connections:

• Inside Story-registered domains — we register the domain on your behalf through our registrar (OpenSRS), handle DNS setup, and include WHOIS privacy. You pay an annual fee and we manage the technical side.
• Externally connected domains — you own and maintain the domain at your own registrar. You point a CNAME or DNS record to our infrastructure and we connect it to your Inside Story content. You are fully responsible for the upkeep of this domain.

Premium domains (those priced above standard registration rates by the registry or registrar) are not included in any add-on and will be quoted separately before purchase.

2. Domain Registration & Legal Ownership

When you register a domain through Inside Story, you are the legal registrant and owner of that domain. You must register the domain in your own legal name (or the legal name of your business entity). You must not register a domain under a fictitious or third-party name for the purpose of concealing ownership.

Inside Story is not a domain registrar and does not acquire legal ownership of your domain at any point. We act as a reseller and register the domain with a third-party registrar on your behalf — the registrant details will reflect your information.

You are responsible for providing accurate registrant information at checkout. Incorrect details can cause registration to fail or be revoked by the registry. You are solely responsible for ensuring your WHOIS/registrant information is accurate and kept up to date, and for complying with the registrar's own terms and conditions.

Domain availability is checked in real time but is not guaranteed until registration is confirmed. We will notify you if your chosen domain becomes unavailable between search and registration.

Domain registration typically completes within a few hours of payment. Complex TLDs or registry delays may occasionally take longer.

3. Non-Refundable

Domain registrations are non-refundable once submitted. This is because we pay the registry fee immediately on your behalf and it cannot be recovered. Please double-check your domain name before completing purchase.

Domain registration costs are incurred immediately upon purchase and cannot be recovered from the registrar, so we are unable to offer refunds on domain registration or renewal fees under any circumstances. If you believe a charge was made in error, please contact us at [email protected] and we will investigate promptly.

4. Renewal & Keeping Your Domain Active

Inside Story-registered domains are billed annually. Your domain will renew automatically if your payment method is current and your Inside Story add-on subscription is active. We will email you before your renewal date.

If your subscription lapses or your payment fails, your domain may not renew. An expired domain can be re-registered by anyone — Inside Story cannot guarantee recovery of a lapsed domain. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before expiry, but ultimate responsibility for renewal lies with you.

You are responsible for ensuring your payment method remains valid. We will send reminder emails before renewal, but it is ultimately your responsibility to keep your subscription active.

5. Outstanding Domain Fees

Domain renewals are typically paid annually to a registrar. There may be circumstances where Inside Story has already paid a domain renewal to the registrar on your behalf — for example, where your payment to us was overdue at the time of the registrar's auto-renewal, but the registrar debited us regardless.

In such cases, you remain responsible for those outstanding domain fees. We reserve the right to invoice you for any domain renewal costs we have paid on your behalf that have not been covered by your subscription or add-on payments. Persistent non-payment of outstanding domain fees may result in suspension of your website or Inside Story account.

We will always notify you in writing before pursuing recovery of any domain fees we have paid on your behalf.

6. Your Right to Transfer

Because you are the legal owner of your domain, you may transfer it to another registrar or hosting provider at any time. We will not obstruct or unreasonably delay the transfer of your domain, and we do not charge a transfer fee. We will provide the transfer authorisation code within a reasonable timeframe on request.

If you decide to leave Inside Story or cancel your add-on, you should initiate a domain transfer to your chosen registrar before or promptly after cancellation. Inside Story is not responsible for any lapse in domain registration that occurs because a transfer was not completed in time. Transfer fees charged by the receiving registrar or any applicable registry requirements are your responsibility.

7. Cancellation & What Happens to Your Domain

When you cancel a domain add-on or your Inside Story subscription:

• Your domain will remain connected to Inside Story until the end of the current billing period.
• You should arrange to transfer your domain to another registrar or provider before the end of that period if you wish to continue using it.
• Where your domain is held through Inside Story as your reseller, we will renew it on your behalf while your add-on remains active and your payment is current. Once the add-on expires, we will no longer renew the domain on your behalf.
• Any domain that is not transferred and whose renewal falls due after the add-on lapses may expire. Inside Story accepts no liability for an expired domain in these circumstances.

8. WHOIS Privacy

All Inside Story-registered domains include WHOIS privacy at no extra cost. Your personal contact details are masked in the public WHOIS database. Note that registry authorities and law enforcement may still access registrant details when legally required.

9. DNS Management

For Inside Story-registered domains, we configure DNS records to connect your domain to your Inside Story content. You do not need to manage DNS yourself. If you want to use the domain for other services (e.g. email hosting elsewhere), contact us — we can add additional records where possible.

10. Externally Connected Domains

If you connect a domain you own elsewhere to Inside Story, the following applies:

• You are responsible for your domain registration. Inside Story has no visibility into or control over your domain at your registrar. We cannot renew it, recover it, or act on your behalf if it expires.
• You are responsible for DNS records. We will provide the DNS records (an A record or CNAME) to point at Inside Story. You must configure these correctly at your registrar. If the records are wrong, your domain will not work with Inside Story and we cannot fix it on your behalf.
• You are responsible for keeping the domain active. If your domain expires, is suspended, or is transferred away, your Inside Story content will become unreachable at that address. We cannot guarantee service continuity in these circumstances.
• DNS propagation takes time. Changes to DNS records can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally. We are not responsible for delays during this period.
• SSL certificates are issued automatically once your DNS is correctly pointed to Inside Story. If your DNS is misconfigured, SSL may not issue or may issue with a delay. We are not responsible for SSL failures caused by incorrect DNS setup.

Inside Story will do its best to help you get set up, but we cannot access or modify settings at your registrar. If you're unsure how to set DNS records, your registrar's support team is the right place to start.

11. Acceptable Use

Your custom domain must be used in a manner consistent with our main Terms & Conditions.

You must not use your Inside Story domain to:

• Impersonate another person, brand, or organisation
• Host or send illegal content
• Send spam, phishing attempts, or deceptive email
• Violate any applicable law or regulation
• Engage in any activity that could damage Inside Story's sending reputation or infrastructure

We reserve the right to disconnect or suspend any domain we reasonably believe is being used in violation of these terms, without prior notice if the situation warrants it.

12. Our Liability for Domain-Related Matters

Inside Story accepts no liability for any domain-related matters, including but not limited to:

• Domain disputes, UDRP proceedings, or trademark claims
• Suspension, transfer, or deletion of a domain by a registry or registrar
• Errors in WHOIS data or registrant information you have provided
• Failure to renew a domain because of payment issues or an expired card on file
• Loss of a domain due to non-renewal or registrar action
• DNS propagation delays or downtime during setup or changes
• Loss of traffic, revenue, or reputation resulting from domain expiry or disconnection
• Failures caused by incorrect DNS configuration on an externally managed domain
• Third-party disputes arising from the content you publish under your domain
• Actions taken by ICANN, any registry, or any registrar under their applicable policies
• Registry-level actions outside our control (e.g. TLD suspensions, ICANN disputes)

You take on full responsibility for the domain from the moment it is registered. Where your domain is purchased through Inside Story acting as your domain reseller, we will manage renewals on your behalf for as long as your add-on is active and your payment method is current. Outside of that, Inside Story's role is limited to pointing your domain to your Inside Story content while your subscription and add-on are active.

13. Our Registrar & Third-Party Providers

Inside Story registers domains through OpenSRS, a wholesale domain registrar. By registering a domain through us, you are also subject to OpenSRS's terms and the policies of the relevant domain registry (e.g. Verisign for .com domains). These include ICANN rules that apply to all domain registrations globally.

Inside Story uses third-party infrastructure providers to deliver this service. We make reasonable efforts to select reputable providers, but we do not accept liability for their actions or outages.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We'll notify you of material changes by email or via a notice in your Inside Story dashboard. Continued use of a custom domain after the effective date of any changes means you accept the updated terms.

15. Questions & Support

If you have questions about your domain or these terms, we're happy to help: [email protected].