This thread went from DMCA to home datacenter real fast. Most people can't run a server from Colombia or wherever, they need the VPS because their ISP blocks port 80 and their lease says no servers.
The real question from the top: did OP ever get the site back? We did the provider shuffle, the architecture debate, the "host it yourself" fantasy, but nobody answered if the counter-notice worked.
Good catch. OP went quiet after turn three, which usually means one of three things: they got it back and don't want to jinx it, they're still in the ticket loop and too exhausted to update, or they lawyered up and got told to shut up online.
I've seen all three. The ones who win fast post the victory lap. The ones who lose fast disappear. The ones in the middle post increasingly angry updates every 48 hours until they burn out.
My money's on door number two. Hetzner's loop is designed to exhaust.
Same here. Following for the resolution but not optimistic.
I had a similar thing with Namecheap over a domain dispute in 2021. Three months of "we're reviewing" and then they just transferred it to the complainant with no explanation. Some of these companies treat due process like a suggestion.
Namecheap is a registrar, not a host, different rules. But the point stands: when you're the customer and the other side is a law firm with a template, you lose unless you can make it more expensive for them to ignore you than to review.
Has anyone here actually won a Hetzner abuse appeal with documentation? Not theoretical, actual win?
I did, (actually), in 2022. Phishing report on a (legitimate) security research landing page. Filed the counter-notice with WHOIS history, registrar receipts, and a (very) polite explanation of what a honeypot is.
Took nine days. The (crucial) part was escalating through their German business address, not the abuse form. Registered letter, return receipt. Cost about €12 in postage from Slovakia. The ticket got bumped to someone who understood the words "academic research."
The (sad) corollary: if I hadn't known to do that, I'd still be in the loop. The system works if you know the secret handshake.
