The world’s most controversial domain registrar has a new owner – and apparently it’s “charging a new path”
Controversial domain registrar Epik has been acquired by Registered Agents Inc. (RAI) to improve its service offering to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
However, Epik is widely known for hosting far-right and neo-Nazi websites such as 8chan and the self-proclaimed free speech social networking alternative, Parler.
a rack released by the company noted, “Epik.com is now blazing a new trail for entrepreneurs and businesses looking for premium registered agents and domain services.”
“Problematic customers”
Epik says it made changes to its terms of service during the company’s latest ICANN accreditation review to “rid its platform of violators,” which resulted in the company removing “a handful of problematic customers.”
This will apparently help Epik “focus on rebuilding trust with its small business and entrepreneurial customers,” although its tarnished reputation and history could still be an operational hurdle.
RAI, which acquired Epik, provides corporate compliance and registered agent services to “startups, small businesses (and) rural corporations.” The acquisition allows RAI to offer domain and website registration services to its customers.
Bryce Myrvang, RAI in-house counsel, said in a statement: “The asset acquisition and subsequent transfer of Epik accreditation has been challenging. However, our ability to ensure continued service for the hundreds of thousands of domain names for registrants has been a satisfying chapter in my legal career.
“We look forward to shifting our focus to providing exceptional service to our core business customers with the same level of support, products and services they have come to expect.”
Last year, Epik was purchased from Epik Holdings, Inc by Epik LLC in the wake of the debt turmoil, a successful hacking attack that leaked customer data, and the Masterbucks scandal.
In a number of TrustPilot reviews, Epik LLC frequently points out that they are a “separate entity with separate ownership from the company and people” that the reviews are apparently aimed at. These ratings most likely refer to the completely different entity, Epik Holdings, Inc.
Ny Breaking reached out to Epik LLC for comment, but they did not immediately respond. Subsequent updates will be posted here.