Domain Name Information And Resources


Product Search


Ads By CbproAds



How to avoid copyright infringment in your domain name


One of the most important aspects of choosing a domain name is that it should be non-infringing. This is not an easy task since most unique names have already been registered. The number of useful domain names from the marketing point of view have become extremely limited. Several companies now register variations of their trademark names as a preventive measure against infringement. For example, check www.coke.com, www.coca-cola.com, and www.coca-cola.com, or try www.3m.com and www.mmm.com.

All these factors have led to a crisis of domain names and given rise to increasing cases of infringement of domain names. A number of companies have taken legal action against other companies or individuals over alleged copyright violation on the domain names.

There are some fundamental guidelines and cross-checks for selection of a domain name.

You must carefully select some names that are relevant to your business model. You must be able to justify your reason for using the name. Your domain name should principally consist of a name you are using as a trade name, trademark or corporate name.

It is better to select more than one name since you are not sure about the availability of the required domain name.

Now, search the website of one of the prominent domain name registrars to check if the required name is available. If the name has already been registered by someone else, the search result will provide you with optional names that are similar to your requirements. For example, for the name "ford", the search result may give you similar names like "aboutford.com" and "fordbusiness.com".

If the domain name that you are looking has already been registered but there is no content being displayed at the domain, try to find out the details of the owner of the domain. It is possible that he/she may be genuine and have yet not published any content.

It is also possible that the owner does not plan to create a web site and is willing to give you the domain at the original price. You must confirm that the seller has ownership rights for that particular domain name.

Choosing a domain name that is same as or quite similar to another well-known trademark, may lead to legal action. The regulations governing these issues are dealt by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

It is very likely that you would lose right of your domain name if you have intentionally chosen a name similar to another domain name so as to confuse potential visitors to the site. For example, if your site deals in consumer electronics goods made by a Samsung competitor, do not choose the name "samsungbusiness.com" since a court is most likely to pass a verdict that you selected this name to divert attention of Samsung customers.

There could be others reasons of losing a domain name. It may be found that you have never carried out any business under that name or there is no person in your company similar to that name. Another reason could be that you intend to sell that domain name to your competitor for financial gain.

If your domain name is same as your name then you may be allowed to continue to use it, inspite of the fact that it is similar to someone else's domain name. But the usage of such a name is governed by certain conditions set by court. For example, Mr. Suki Nokia, who runs a cosmetics business, may be allowed to use the domain name "nokia.kr" but he would be barred from using his site to demonstrate any electronics-related information or advertising.

It is also possible for you to use a domain name that is similar to another's trademark if your objective is not to criticize the other person's business.

In the non-cyberworid, two companies may have the same name if they do not conduct a similar business or do not have similar product lines. Roxy Electrical and Roxy Laundry can coexist comfortably. However, in the web world, both Roxies cannot own the "roxy.com" domain name. The laundry Roxy could register under "roxy.laundry" and the electrician under "roxy.electrical."

A very useful tip is to buy all three of the top level domains - .com, .co.uk and .net. You should also buy all possible misspellings of your domain name before anybody else takes advantage of this fact.

You have put a lot of money and energy into building your business and if you are forced to give up the domain name, your business is likely to suffer due to it. So, you need to put your best efforts in choosing a domain name that is both distinctive and non-infringing.

Copyright © Active-Domain.com's domain registration service. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted freely provided the resource box, Web addresses and copyright information remain intact.


MORE RESOURCES:

National Post

The 11 Most Expensive Domain Names Ever (PICTURES)
Huffington Post (blog)
The coveted domain name 'Sex.com' is about to hit the auction block. The bidding will start at a cool $1 million. The domain name was last sold for $14 ...
Sex.com 'to become most expensive domain name in history'Telegraph.co.uk
Top 10 most expensive domain namesExpress Buzz
Sex.com domain goes up for grabsCNNMoney.com
Reuters -BizReport -Econsultancy (blog)
all 106 news articles »


Novinite.com

Decision to be Taken for Domain Names Varying From .God to .xxx - sex and Religion
TopNews United States
ICM Registry, a company that sells domain names, and is promoting .xxx to be made accessible, and has said that it expects to offer the suffix for sale by ...
From .God to .xxx - sex and religion domain names to be discussedTelegraph.co.uk
ICANN Likely to Decide on .XXX This WeekXBIZ Newswire
Porn internet domain name 'dot.xxx' plan revivedBBC News
Times of India -Novinite.com -Tom's Guide
all 188 news articles »


Go Daddy: 40 Million Domain Names, Lots Of Jobs
techrockies.com
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Go Daddy announced today that it has just surpassed 40 million, registered domain names on its service. Go Daddy, which provides ...
GoDaddy.com Passes 40 Million Registered Domain NamesDomains Directory
Go Daddy Set to Hit 40 Million Domains Milestone on WednesdayDomain Name Wire (blog)

all 19 news articles »


Group NBT H1 profit up; raises dividend
Reuters
L), aprovider of domain names, posted a higher first-half profit due to growth in its key market segments, and raised its dividend, but said it was still ...

and more »


In Search of the Next .COM: ccTLDInvestors.com Focuses on Taking Domain Name ...
PR Web (press release)
The Domain Name Investing market has grown dramatically over the last few years, and with sales like Toys.com for 5.1 million dollars and Candy.com for 3.0 ...



Domain Name – Your Online Address
BigNews.biz (press release)
But the first and foremost step is choosing a domain name and domain name registration is very important so that somebody else does not register it before ...

and more »


When Companies Change Domain Names And URLs
Mediapost.com
Moving a Web site and redirecting pages can become a nightmare. Shane Jones tells us about a recent decision by a travel company in Manchester, England, ...



Experts see DNSSEC deployments gaining traction
SearchSecurity.com
Some older domain servers can't handle the increased bandwidth and encryption algorithms used to resolve domain names and must be replaced. ...
The GLOBE Program Selects Dynamic Network ServicesTMCnet

all 2 news articles »


SEO Site Addresses: Top 5 Things To Consider
SEO Consult (blog)
Your site's address, or domain name, needs to attract search engines and human users, needs to be easy to type in, needs to convey something about the ...

and more »


eNom Selected as an Exclusive Registrar for .CO Domain Names
Earthtimes (press release)
(Business Wire) eNom, Inc., the world's largest ICANN accredited domain name wholesaler, today announced it is an exclusive registrar for .CO domain names. ...
Demand Media's eNom Snags .COsocalTech.com
eNom Selected as a Registrar for .CO Domain NamesWeb Host Industry Review

all 6 news articles »

Google News

Home Page | Site Map | Partners
© 2008 - 2010 CompTel Services, Inc., All Rights Reserved