court order

A judicial directive commanding a party to do or refrain from doing something. For domain registrars, a court order typically demands disclosure of registrant identity, takedown of a domain, or transfer of registration. Unlike a subpoena (which requests information), a court order is enforceable with contempt penalties. Jurisdiction matters enormously: U.S. courts issue orders binding on U.S.-based registrars; offshore registrars in permissive jurisdictions may ignore them entirely. bunkerdomains operates in a favorable regulatory environment and does not voluntarily comply with foreign court orders absent local legal obligation. Common scenarios include trademark disputes (UDRP is faster and cheaper), copyright claims (DMCA takedown is the standard route), and political speech suppression (increasing in authoritarian contexts). The gap between legal authority and technical enforceability is real—a court order means nothing if the registrar doesn't answer the phone.