Domain Name Trademarks

You should register your company name, product names, trademarks, service names, and slogans as domain names. You should consider registering various versions of your domain name. We recommend that companies register their names in all of the general Top Level Domains. Registering manifold domain names is cheap insurance to protect against possible infringing use. You may want to add "www" to your domain names and register all of these too, since omitting the dot between the "www" and the domain name is an ordinary misprint made by Internet users. If you are using domain name trademarks to identify the source of the products or services and if it passes the other tests, then you may be able to secure federal registration for it.

Domain Name Trademark Infringement

Domain name trademark infringement is a violation of exclusive rights without the authorization of the trademark owner. Any company that registers a trademark has the right to protect their trademark and to notify you that your domain name is infringing upon their trademark. If your domain name has the potential of confusing the public into thinking the trademark holder is affiliated with your web site, they may bring infringement claims against you. The courts can make the decision based upon the trademark laws and if your domain name, in fact, has the potential of confusing the public.

If you are in the market for a domain name, you want to consider searching the trademark electronic search system, prior to registering a domain name. By researching the trademark regulations and knowing your rights, whether you hold a domain name, you may be able to avoid the possibility of litigation.