Expired Domain Names 

Ownership (or more precisely, control) of domain names is granted for a limited period of time, subject to the appropriate registration or renewal fees being paid. Once the owner of a domain name declines to pay the renewal fee to maintain their registration, that domain name will expire - that is, it will eventually be deleted and returned to the "pool" of unregistered names.

While originally domain names were registered for a fixed period of 2 years, most Registrars now offer the option of registering a domain name for a period of 1-10 years, often with substantial discounts for extended registrations.

A domain name that is approaching its renewal date is said to be "expiring soon" and a domain name that has passed its renewal date (also known as its "expiry date" - it's just a matter of perspective!) without the renewal fee being paid is said to have "expired".

Expired domains solicit a lot of interest since essentially they form a new supply of domain names returning to the market, sometimes for the first time in many years...

Once a domain name has expired and been deleted, it is available to be re-registered by anyone. It is at the exact moment of deletion that the real battle begins for the control of the newly-available names - a battle that can only have one winner.