Thanks for sharing this OP - I have all of my domains with NameCheap, they have been my favorite registrar for years, but i'm thinking it is time to start moving away from them.
I've noticed NameCheap support has really gone down hill recently. I used to get issues resolved rather quickly (within an hour), but now tickets take upwards of hours just to get answered, and usually with a canned message unrelated to the issues, resulting in further communication to resolve relatively simple things.
I think this incident is the last nail in the coffin for me. It's also sad to see that NameCheap's official response doesn't make sense as well... They state that they made six separate attempts to contact Imgur, yet go on to say they should have been more aggressive; it makes me wonder if they just emailed them - it went to an old box and didn't bother picking up a phone. Having some high traffic domains myself, this makes me really uneasy. Regardless of the issues at hand, every possible attempt should be made to contact the company before they suspend the domain, and if the alternative is unavoidable, a TTL of minutes at most; two days it ridiculous.
It's a shame, finally thought I found a good registrar.
Firstly, don't let them strong arm you - most patent trolls blast complaints like this to many parties at once and hope a percent of them cave without the need for court.
If this did go to court, I strongly doubt you would be found guilty of infringing on these patents. Based on your statement, it sounds like you simply made an app that converts third party API data to a UI, which wouldn't come close to either patents as they are related to the actual process of tracking vehicles, which the API provider partakes in, not you.
I would simply contact them and let them know that you don't track them yourself, you use another company. Most lawyers don't understand software, so they might be assuming you are tracking vehicles on your own. If they continue to press you past that, you might be forced to take it to court.
A good point that I had overlooked completely, the social factor. It's amazing how something so obvious gets looked over so easily. Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it!
Absolutely a valid point, that is defiantly the thought that has kept me in thus far. I know a handful of kids that graduated with me and literally haven't worked a day in their life. I think it's amazing that people are content with that type of existence.
Yep, exactly same boat, glad you posted. I'm at the beginning of the "few weeks of constant, gut wrenching, inner monologue talks..." and just trying to weigh them out.
I would like to spend most of the time on the Startup - I really enjoy it, but I also acknowledge that there is a realistic chance that it won't work out and I will need to find another company. Now that registration for next semester is coming up, I found myself not really wanting to go back.
I think i'll probably cut back on the units and proceed primarily online on the side... just so I can slowly work my way to the degree that I might need one day.
Thank you for your post and your time, I really appreciate it!
I didn't really think about the actual rounding that college provides, I thought of it as simply an accessory to a career, which is exactly why I should follow your advice.
I just assumed some HN readers might have gone through similar circumstances, just wanted to see where the community opinion laid.
I agree - i'll most likely continue for the degree on the side. It seems like career security if I ever find myself without a job.
The web hosting company has been running for a while now, I have just over a couple hundred customers, and I haven't done any advertising since I started working at the Startup. It's not anything that can support me due to the current saturation of the hosting market, but I felt it was a benchmark of experience.