The website appears to be hosted by DDOS-Guard, a Russian web hosting company known for its controversial reputation. This website is hosting my copyrighted content. I understand that complaining to DDOS-Guard directly may not be effective. However, I read somewhere (please correct me if I’m wrong) that DDOS-Guard doesn’t directly host websites but acts as an intermediary, obscuring the website’s real IP address (similar to what it did for Parler). So, if my understanding is correct, DDOS-Guard works like a proxy, similar to Cloudflare. Even the website’s nameservers’ IP addresses seem to be in the US, which is incorrect.
I’m wondering if there’s a way for me to gather the necessary information to take action against this website and ensure my content is protected.
It sounds like you’re dealing with a complex situation involving your copyrighted content being hosted on a website that utilizes DDOS-Guard, a hosting service known for its controversial practices.
Your understanding is generally correct: DDOS-Guard often acts as a proxy or intermediary for websites, obscuring their true hosting infrastructure, much like how Cloudflare operates with its content delivery network (CDN) and proxy services.
Here are steps you can consider to gather information and take action:
Identify Ownership and Hosting: Use tools like WHOIS lookup (such as ICANN WHOIS) to determine the domain ownership information.
This might give you insights into who registered the domain and possibly their contact details.
IP Address Investigation: While DDOS-Guard obscures the real IP address, sometimes investigative tools or services can uncover more details about the actual hosting infrastructure.
Tools like DNSstuff, IPinfo, or even specialized investigative services might help here.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Notice: If you haven’t already, prepare a DMCA notice. This is a legal request to the hosting provider (in this case, DDOS-Guard) to remove infringing content.
Despite their reputation, DDOS-Guard is legally bound to respond to valid DMCA notices.
Legal Advice: Consider consulting with a lawyer specializing in intellectual property or internet law.
They can provide guidance on the best approach to protect your content and pursue legal action if necessary.
Keep Records: Document all communication and steps taken. This includes copies of your DMCA notice, any responses received, and details from your investigations. These records may be crucial if legal action becomes necessary.
Alternative Measures: If DDOS-Guard proves unresponsive or difficult to deal with, explore other avenues such as contacting upstream providers, domain registrars, or even legal authorities if the situation warrants it.
Given the complexities and potential international aspects (especially with DDOS-Guard being based in Russia), maintaining a methodical and documented approach will be essential.
It’s wise to proceed carefully and consider seeking professional legal advice to ensure your actions are effective and legally sound.
If your copyrighted content is hosted on a website using DDOS-Guard’s services, which acts as an intermediary or proxy, you can take several steps to address the infringement. Start by conducting a WHOIS lookup to identify the domain owner and contact information. Attempt to contact DDOS-Guard’s abuse or legal contact email addresses with a detailed complaint of copyright infringement. Prepare a DMCA takedown notice outlining your rights and the specific content being infringed upon, and send it to DDOS-Guard’s designated copyright agent, along with the website’s domain registrar and any known hosting providers. Utilize digital tools or services that specialize in uncovering hosting details obscured by proxy services. Consider seeking legal advice if the infringement persists or if further legal action is needed to protect your copyrighted material effectively.
I don’t think that you have understood how DNS works — when you type in the name of a website (www.someSite.com) then YOUR PC will go to a DNS server (typically the one that your ISP provides) and ask it what the IP address is. If that DNS server doesn’t know, then it will go to another DNS server higher up in the internet hierarchy…until it ultimately reaches one of the 12 root servers.
The fact that the website hosts their own DNS server doesn’t matter to you, only to them, if they wanted to surf the net.
There is the possibility that the website DOESN’T want anyone to reach them (that it is an internal, private, secret website — in that case you can’t access it — but the whole point of having a website is that you have to publish your IP address — this is done automatically when you purchase a domain name.