title: The domain name I want is in "clienthold"; am I likely to be able to get this name?
body: <p>Before I begin, I guess this may not be strictly <em>programming</em> related but I think it's definitely related to web programming.</p>
  
  <p>I'm after a domain for a startup project and I notice that it is currently on "clientHold" registrar status.  From the research I've done this suggests that it is in dispute either due to an ownership dispute, a payment dispute or someone has suggested the domain is used by spammers/scammers.  The whois data seems similar to other spammer details I've seen posted, and at the very least is largely anonymous.</p>
  
  <p>The domain is registed with XIN NET who <a href="http://weblog.infoworld.com/stratdev/archives/2008/06/xin_net_crackdo.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">appear to be notorious for supporting spammer domains</a>.  I'd love to just contact the registrar but their site copyright is 2006 and I can't find any appropriate contact path.  Even then, they are probably too large to actually deal with and my Chinese skills are limited to Google Translate.</p>
  
  <p>One thing to note is that the expiry date for the domain isn't for a few months.</p>
  
  <p><strong>My questions are:</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Is there any rule on how long a domain can be held in clientHold status?   </li>
  <li>Does the "last updated" whois data indicate when the domain was initially put
  on clientHold?   </li>
  <li>If the site is put up for deletion, will it enter a pending deletion status
  for some time or is it likely to just drop instantly?</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Any details on how this stuff works would be appreciated.</p>