Member Avatar for noobieyoyoyo

hello...me and this guy are two admins of these forums. i was the one who bought the domain name for the site...and the one who bought the license for the forum. he keeps claiming that he is a co-owner of the site, but isnt it just me? i know this sounds selfish, but i am just trying to claim what i deserve

basically...im asking what does it take to be deemed the "owner of a site" and in my case does that apply to me

ty

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Dani AI

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As first asked, the admin-vs-owner question shows up a lot. and made good high-level points about agreements and control; here are pragmatic steps and evidence to assemble so the legal/personal picture becomes clear and options are workable.

  • Check the registrar/registrant record and the registrar account (WHOIS and account email).
  • Pull every payment record tied to the project (host, domain, license receipts, PayPal/card statements).
  • Find the forum software/license terms and the purchase receipt; note whether the license transfers or is an end-user license.
  • Export development evidence: source-control commits, file timestamps, installer logs, and emails that show who created or paid for work.
  • Preserve site data now: full backups of files and the database, moderator logs, and an exported copy of Terms of Service or About pages.
  • Look for business formation or trademark records (company filings, partnership emails, trademark applications).
  • If outside contractors or volunteers contributed code/content, locate any written assignment or contributor agreements.

Protect assets carefully: if accounts are legally yours, secure them (strong passwords, 2FA) and back everything up. If both parties can claim ownership, avoid unilateral destructive actions; instead preserve logs and correspondence that show intent and contributions.

If this is more than a disagreement, consider a written settlement or mediation before litigation. For basics about domain/registrant information see ICANN WHOIS. For partnership and business-structure guidance see the U.S. Small Business Administration . This is general information and not legal advice; consult a lawyer if the site has material value or the dispute escalates.

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Member Avatar for noobieyoyoyo

oh also, i forgot to add...

does simply being an administrator of a site make you a co-owner?

thanks

Member Avatar for jbennet

i think the answer is no. IMHO Administrator is a job and that he is no more the owner than the manager of a hotel is.

Member Avatar for noobieyoyoyo

i appreciate your opinion

anyone else willing to give their thoughts

Member Avatar for happygeek

I am one of two people with the title of admin here at DaniWeb, that does not make me the owner, co-owner or anything but, well, an admin.

In your case ownership rather depends upon the agreement that you two had when you created the forums. Just becuase you registered the domain and bought the license does not make you the sole owner of the forums if the thing was something both of you talked about, designed, created and eventually ran. Just becuase you have fallen out, or at least I assume so, does not mean that can discount his involvement. Of course, if you created it all, set it up, it was your idea and then you invited him along to help run things as an admin, then things are obviously more clear cut on the ownership argument.

Member Avatar for noobieyoyoyo

thanks

Member Avatar for Dani

I'll have to go with happygeek on this one.

Member Avatar for jbennet

anyway if you own the licence and the domain, you ultimatelty have the power to shut the site down.

Member Avatar for happygeek

anyway if you own the licence and the domain, you ultimatelty have the power to shut the site down.

But not, necessarily, the moral or indeed legal right to do so. It all rather depends upon the circumstances surrounding the creation of the forums in the first, any verbal or written agreements, understandings compunded by actions, and so on.

If this 'dispute' is more than just concern over someone else bigging himself up at your expense, and has an underlying business motive, then I would suggest contacting a lawyer who understands contracts, written or implied, and getting it sorted out sooner rather than later.

Member Avatar for pty

Surely it comes down to who 'owns' the domain (ie the name it was registered under) and the payer of the hosting bills. If it was a professional venture and it was set up under a company's name (that you both founded) then it would be a different situation, but as its just some forum and a domain it comes down to who's name is on the bill.

If Davey wanted a new car and I suggested he get a pink VW beetle with tiger-skin patterned seat covers; its still his car even though I had some input.

Member Avatar for Dani

Too many people start businesses together on a handshake IMO.

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