When people buy a new car with financing, the buyer/owner does not actually get the physical title. The title is held by the lender/lienholder. Although the lender holds the physical title, it is understood that the buyer/borrower is the "owner" albeit encumbered with a secured loan. They are the "owner" by virtue of having equitable title.
In real estate with investment properties, many professional investors (including myself) often hold property in other entities or corporate structures (for asset protection or tax reasons). Do "I" own it? In a sense I do and in another sense I don't.
When investors sell property and carry the financing, equitable title can be transferred but the actual title can be held by the investor providing the financing. Nevertheless, the person with equitable title would be considered the "owner".
For example, "Matthew Chan" actually owns very few meaningful assets but Matthew Chan does control more assets than is shown in public through trusts and corporate entities. Suing "Matthew Chan" would result in very little reward.
Coming full circle, I have held names for others. I did it simply because at the time they did not know how to register their own domain and I "held" it for them. The website content would clearly reflect someone else's business, not mine.
Although not a clean answer, given that the concept of "equitable title" exists elsewhere, I would say a case could be made that I wasn't the true owner even if my name was in the administrative/technical contacts. It would all come down to the actual content and use of that content in question.
Having said all that, most people in the copyright extortion industry would not even be able to understand most of what I just wrote much less accept your argument that a domain is in your name but you don't "own" it. It is entirely possible, though not likely as a practical matter. It would happen in rare circumstances as in what I have done as a favor for people I have known.
Topic: Is the domain owner liable or the company represented on the domain? (Read 9800 times)