Eclipse Domain Services Library

Tag: starting a business

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Cybersquatting

by on Apr.22, 2011, under Other

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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Protect your Domain Name – Beware of the Cyber Squatters

by on Jan.05, 2011, under Domains

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!

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Bad Domain Names – Don’t Get Caught

by on Jan.01, 2011, under Domains

You have decided to start your own business online and you want to start advertising and getting potential customers to your site. Imagine being able to run your business 24 hours a day 7 days a week and never leave your house to do so.

Running a business online can be very profitable if you have the correct domain name for your business.

You don’t want to mislead your customers by advertising something that you dont sell to get them into your store. This can lead to trouble and you don’t need that.

When you choose your domain name you may want to consider your most popular item that you will be offering and see if you can add that into your domain name.

Like if you have the name “Pens R Us” chances are your customers will know that you are selling pens, paper, and office supplies. When they need to order they can click on your site to choose from the many varieties that you carry. They may even be able to get their company logo on the pens when they order.

This is a great way to add your business product into your domain name.

If you are selling pens and office supplies and you choose a domain name such as “Paper Products”, this covers a lot of general ground and may not attract the potential customers that you would have attracted if you had used “Pens R Us”.

You need to try to be specific on your domain name in order to get it right. Your name sometimes says it all and it is all that someone will see. Choose a name that is important to your business and you will be a success.

How to Select a Domain Name

Selecting the right name for your website is the most important step you can take when starting your own business.

The name will tell people what you have to offer and will help them decide if they are interested in looking further. There are several ways you can select your domain name to bring in your customers. If you are starting your first website you may feel overwhelmed by the many choices that you have to make. Make yourself a list to help you get started.

First of all you want to write down all the products or services you will be offering.

Determine what age group or groups these products would benefit the most.

After you determine these factors, choose your name that will combine both the products and the age group to create a successful domain name.

When you create your name you need to convince others to visit your site by domain name marketing.

How you market your domain name may be through visiting sites that offer similar products or pay for an advertisement on another popular site. All the customers who visit the well established website will see your ad and click on it.

Usually the ad does not cost very much to advertise for one month. Do your research to see who offers a better deal.

You may also want to try email marketing. Sending emails to everyone you know can increase your traffic to your website and increase your sales. Offer discounts for every customer they bring to your site as an incentive to visiting your store.

How to Make your Domain Name Searchable

When you do a Google search or a Yahoo search you usually type in a couple of words that best describes what you are looking for. This way of searching is fast and easy and usually satisfies your desire to find that particular product.

When choosing the right domain name you want to make sure that it is keyword searchable by providing one or two keywords related to what you are offering on your website. In order to decide what domain name you can use you will need to do a search to figure out how to best name your website.

Deciding the two most important keywords that someone can use to describe the products you sell and then adding them in your domain name is the best way to figure it out. If you choose the most searchable words you can maximize the benefits from creating your own website.

You need to make sure that you only use words that describe your business and dont be misleading or else you will end up losing more business than you gain. You want to be unique and stand out in a crowd and the correct domain name can give you all of that and more.

Once you have chosen your domain name you will be able to market your website and create a huge clientele. Be upfront with your clients and you will reap the rewards. If you need help determining your domain name toss a few ideas out to your friends and see which one is preferred because chances are if they like them, your customers will too.

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