Domain Names

Domain names are the common names that people use to identify a particular website when surfing the Internet. Since a domain name links to only one site, each domain name is unique. It is quite easy to register a domain name: generally, people can register any name they like. As a result, disputes often arise when one person has registered a domain name to which another person feels entitled.

Sometimes, this is done deliberately, when a person registers domain names that contain or are similar to the trade-marks of companies, with the intent to sell the domain name to the company at a significant profit over what it cost to obtain. This practice is referred to as cybersquatting, and is effectively illegal in many jurisdictions.

Less common is a dispute between two entities that both claim to have legitimate rights to a trade-mark, but in different places around the world, or for different goods or services in the same place.

We help clients protect their trade-marks and trade-names on the web, by assisting in the registration of domain names, and handling cybersquatting and other disputes when they arise.