# What is Domain protection, and do I need it? > Domain protection at Pearlcay: +$29/year per domain. In our company name, transfer lock on, complaints read by a person. No KYC, paid in crypto. - URL: https://pearlcay.com/domain-protection-option/ - Last updated: 2026-11-02 - Publisher: Pearlcay (https://pearlcay.com) What the option changes in the registrant record, what it adds to the price, who it suits and who can do without it. Also: the extension that requires it. **Quick answer — What is Domain protection at Pearlcay?** At **Pearlcay**, Domain protection is an option at +$29/year per domain. It registers the domain in the name of DomaineGoat LLC, while you stay the beneficiary and can take it back in your own name for free. It adds a transfer lock, minimal data, and a person who reads every complaint before any action. The abuse rules stay the same. ## Domain protection in short | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Price | +$29/year per domain, added to the domain price | | Registrant of record | DomaineGoat LLC | | Beneficiary | You, with a free hand-back to your own name | | Transfer lock | On | | Data held by DomaineGoat LLC | Your email address only | | Complaints | Each one read by a person before any action on the domain | | Available on | 15 extensions | | Required for | .cc | ## What are the four points of Domain protection? The option is four commitments, no more and no less: 1. **The company is the registrant.** DomaineGoat LLC is the registrant of record. You remain the beneficiary, and you can take the domain back in your own name at no cost. 2. **The transfer lock is on.** The domain cannot be moved to another registrar while the lock is on. 3. **Minimal data.** The only thing DomaineGoat LLC holds about you is your email address. 4. **A person reads every complaint.** Before any action on the domain, a person reads the complaint. Domains without the option do not get this review. You keep managing DNS, nameservers and renewals from your account, as with any other domain. The transfer (EPP) code stays free, requested from the client area, so you can still leave. ## Standard registration and Domain protection, side by side *The abuse policy, its timings and the UDRP are the same for every domain.* | What | Standard registration | With Domain protection | | --- | --- | --- | | Registrant of record | You | DomaineGoat LLC | | Who the registry and WHOIS show | Your registrant record, as far as the registry publishes it | DomaineGoat LLC, never you | | Contact data we hold | One verified email, no ID | Your email, nothing more | | A complaint about the domain | Handled under the abuse policy | Handled under the same policy, after a person reads it | | Price per year | The domain price | The domain price + $29 | ## How is it different from free WHOIS privacy? WHOIS privacy hides contact data in the public record. Domain protection changes who the registrant is. They answer two different questions. Privacy is free here wherever the registry allows it, and each registry decides what stays public. According to Pearlcay's check of 2 November 2026, free WHOIS privacy is confirmed on 7 of the 15 extensions it sells. The .gg registry offers no privacy service, the .ac registry hides the data itself, the rule is not confirmed for .sh, .so, .fm, .ws and .la, and .cc is sold with Domain protection only. Domain protection costs +$29/year per domain and puts a company in the registrant record. It also adds the transfer lock, the minimal data and the human review of complaints, which privacy does not. ## Why are some extensions sold only with it? Because its registry wants a full name and a postal address for the registrant. We collect neither, since there is no KYC. So we register these domains in the name of DomaineGoat LLC, and the registry receives the company's details, not yours. The extension concerned is .cc. Its price already includes the option: a .cc shows $37.99/year in the [pricing table](https://pearlcay.com/pricing/ "How much does a short domain cost per year?"), option included. One consequence is worth knowing. If you later ask for one of these domains in your own name, the registry can then ask for your name and address. ## What does Domain protection not do? It does not change the abuse policy. The same rules and timings apply to every domain, with or without the option: - Phishing, malware, botnets and fraud that takes money from victims: action within 24 hours of a well-documented report. - Child sexual abuse material is handled immediately, with a report to the competent hotline or authority. - Trademark disputes follow the UDRP, and the domain is locked within 2 business days of a request from a UDRP provider. The complaint names DomaineGoat LLC as registrant, and the panel's decision is carried out. - A copyright, defamation, political or competitor complaint leads to no action on the complaint alone: we need a decision that binds us. - We release the data we hold only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case. The human review is the one difference: a person reads the complaint first. It does not make a use of the domain legal, and it does not replace a trademark search before you choose a name. Reports go to abuse@pearlcay.com; the [abuse page](https://pearlcay.com/abuse/ "How do I report abuse on a Pearlcay domain?") gives the process. ## Who is Domain protection for? The option suits you if one of these is true: - You want a .cc. There is no other way to buy one here. - You want the registrant record to name a company instead of you. - You want a person to read every complaint before anything is done to the domain. - You want the transfer lock on from the first day. It is a choice of structure, not a way around the rules. A domain with the option can still be suspended for phishing, malware, botnets or fraud on victims. ## Who does not need it? You can do without it in these cases: - Free WHOIS privacy is enough for you. Wherever the registry allows it, we apply it at no cost. - You want to be the registrant of record in your own name, for example when a contract or a filing asks for your own name. - You buy a .ai, .io, .gg, .co, .me or .tv and do not need the review of complaints. You then save +$29/year per domain. Paying in crypto, having no ID check and getting free DNS do not depend on the option. They are the same for every domain. ## How do I add it, keep it or end it? You choose the option at checkout, for each domain. It is paid from your crypto balance, at +$29/year per domain. To end it, ask support to return the domain to your own name. That costs nothing. To move the domain to another registrar, request the transfer (EPP) code, which is free, requested from the client area. We never ask for your password, your account number or your domain transfer (EPP) codes by email or chat. Write to [support](https://pearlcay.com/contact/ "How do I contact Pearlcay?") with the domain name and *Domain protection* in the subject. ## Domain protection: questions ### Who owns a domain with Domain protection? The registrant of record is DomaineGoat LLC. You are the beneficiary: you manage DNS, nameservers and renewals, and you can take the domain back in your own name for free. ### Does Domain protection stop abuse complaints? No. Every complaint follows the same abuse policy as for any other domain. The difference is human review: a person reads each complaint before any action on the domain. That review exists only with the option. ### How much does a .io cost with Domain protection? A .io costs $35.99/year the first year. With the option, add +$29/year. From the second year, the .io renews at $62.99/year, and the option stays at the same price per year. ### Is Domain protection the same as WHOIS privacy? No. WHOIS privacy hides contact data where the registry allows it, and it is free. Domain protection puts DomaineGoat LLC in the registrant record and adds the transfer lock, minimal data and human review. Each registry decides what stays public. ### Why can I not buy a .cc without it? Its registry wants a full name and a postal address for the registrant, and we do not collect them. So .cc is sold only with the option, and its price includes it. ## Sources 1. [Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policy-2012-02-25-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-29) **Add Domain protection to a name** Search a name, then choose Domain protection at checkout for +$29/year. [Search a domain](https://pearlcay.com/app/domains/?lang=en) · [See pricing](https://pearlcay.com/pricing/ "How much does a short domain cost per year?") --- Pearlcay: Pearlcay registers short country-code domains, most of them island extensions: .ai (Anguilla), .io (Chagos Islands), .gg (Guernsey), .sh (Saint Helena), .tv (Tuvalu) and ten more, paid in crypto with no KYC: no ID, only one verified email per domain. It is run by DomaineGoat LLC, a company registered in Panama; domains are registered through its ICANN-accredited registrar partner. A .ai costs $86.99/year, sold for at least 2 years.