Eclipse Domain Services Library

When it comes to domain names, don’t think that you only need to worry about the ones that you registered. This is because with the phenomenon of cybersquatting, domain names that are similar to your company’s trademark could be registered to unscrupulous webmasters, intending to use them in bad faith. What happens is once the cybersquatter has gotten sales or Adsense clicks from their domain name, they will try to sell it to the original entity holding the trademark. When things get to this point, the price is significantly higher, sometimes even thousands of dollars. This is despite the fact that the individual or organization buying the domain name originally had the rights to it in the first place.

So, how does a company protect themselves from cybersquatting? Well, first they need to be aware of whether or not domain names related to their trademark are being registered and used in bad faith. The best way to do this is to sign up for Google Alerts. This is a service that allows individuals or organizations to track any websites, comments, articles, etc. that are being made about their website or brand.

If they receive an alert that shows a domain name that is similar to their trademark, they could be dealing with a potential cybersquatter. The keyword of course is ‘potential.’ The person may not have any intention on selling the domain name back, though they are still using it in an illegal manner.

Either way, website owners can exercise their right to an arbitration proceeding if they found their trademark has been used in bad faith. The type of arbitration proceeding that is the most common for domain name disputes is called Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. This process can allow disputes to be settled out of court through an ICANN-approved UDRP provider. The decisions made through the UDRP panel are legally binding, though they can be challenged in a traditional courtroom if either party thinks things are unfair.

Another way companies can avoid cybersquatting is by trying as best they can to register any domain names relating to their trademark. This would include obvious derivatives where their whole trademark is included, as well as more creative derivatives where only a part of the trademark is used. If a company finds they are having difficulties coming up with different domain name combinations on their own, they can use a domain name generator. They should use both automated domain name generators as well as those in which a human comes up with the different combinations. In either case they need to think of combinations for all types of extensions, even free ones such as .tk or .co.nr.

In conclusion, no one should have to succumb to a cybersquatter. Too much money and work goes into building a brand to have to spend thousands to a shady webmaster. Instead, website owners should be aware of how their trademark is being used. If there is a problem they can consider a UDRP proceeding. In the meantime they need to try to get as many domain names containing their trademark as possible, so cybersquatters won’t have an opportunity to do their dirty work.

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If you are doing a business, you cannot avoid having a domain name. Since the best way to be known is to advertise on the Internet, you will need a domain name by which Internet users get into your website. A domain name is the text name equivalent to the numeric IP address of a PC on the Internet.

Although most people feel they do not really need a domain name, the fact is that a domain name is very important for a business to be successful. After all, business revolves round sales, and sales depend on credibility. Having a domain name is the first step towards building credibility. It makes your customers feel comfortable while doing business with you. There are many search engines that give importance to the home page of a particular domain.

Although domain name is not the only factor responsible for the success or failure of a business, it is certainly an important one. Therefore, to ensure your success you must choose a proper registered web address from the many options available like .net, .org, .biz and others. Most people find .com to be the most credible. That is why it is considered a popular extension that lends credibility to your business. You can choose any domain name as you have the freedom to use only alphabets, numbers, and dashes also. Only spaces and special symbols are not allowed. Domain names are not even case sensitive.

A good domain name should be short and simple; not long, ambiguous and confusing. Ideally, it should not exceed 14-16 characters. You should spend a lot of time and use your creativity to think of a catchy domain name. Make sure you spell it correctly and include at least two keywords in it. Keywords help search engines to rank them.

You can get ideas about domain names from the old domain names that are no longer in use. However, this can be a risky proposition if the domain name is in use. That can land you into a copyright infringement issue. So, be very careful while choosing a domain name from the Internet.

Also, do not register your domain name with your web host in order to avoid having to move your domain if and when you decide to change your host. Keep the two separate otherwise it is quite a hassle.

To be doubly sure, you can even register more than one domain name. For instance, many people register their company’s name in full and in short. You can even register wrongly or differently spelt names of your website. This becomes your trademark and you can be sure of no encroachments and yet have them all.

Before taking the final decision, it’s a good idea to ask people around you for their opinions on it. This is the best way to find out how it will be finally received in the open world.

Also take the price factor into consideration. Since there is much competition the prices have come down quite a bit. You can make a decent bargain if you spend some time and shop around.

Your domain name could be stolen or given up to the evil entity known as the Cyber squatters whose main mission is to steal your web identity and this is how they do it. They could register YourDomainName.org, and do the same thing with YourDomainName.biz, therefore contacting you and try to sell you those names at advanced prices. If that doesn’t work, then the following events could happen.

They will allow your competitor to get a domain that sounds like yours, and allow him to cause confusion or try to steal your hard-earned traffic, business and clients.

Take these steps right now to halt the cyber squatters.

Have people go through you for authorization: Go through your domain name registrar and fill in a form that locks in authorized entities of your claim of other domain names. You can buy these names and keep them under your roof. It will provide you information to include, such as contact information, who should be contacted if someone wants to register your domain, the character string you are claiming (this must be an EXACT match), description of your current products/services, when you began using that domain name.

You have a small window to accomplish filling out an authorized entry form. Check with your domain registrar for time frame windows in filling out an authorized entry form Failure to enter a claim during a certain time frame means the registering entities will not check to see if there is an equivalent .com, .net or .org name. They will not check the IP Claim Service database. Meaning, you could lose your .info or net-version of your domain name.

Don’t let cyber squatters shake you down and ruin what you have built up on the net. Get the rights and the authorization to similar or like names to your main domain name!