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| Five Common Domain Name Myths |
| Posted: 05-04-2006 | Views: 125 |
| Author: Steve Ashton |
Copyright 2006 Stephen Ashton
With domain name articles and tips floating around all
over the Web, most people probably feel that they know
a good deal about picking and protecting a domain name.
However, some common domain name myths persist. Let’s
debunk a few.
Myth: Once I register a domain, I can use it forever.
Fact: While it’s possible that you’ll keep your registered
domain name forever, it’s not guaranteed. Several things
can happen that would cause you to lose your domain name.
First, you have to register your domain name each year
(or register it for multiple years up front) in order
to keep your access to it. If you forget to renew your
registration, you could lose your domain name, or someone
else can register it and charge you a huge fee to have
it transferred back to your name. Second, you could lose
your domain name in a trademark dispute.
Myth: My domain name is automatically trademarked, so
no one else can ever use it or anything too similar to
it (such as with other extensions).
Fact: A domain name cannot be trademarked in the US! It
also isn’t protected by a copyright. However, if your
business’ name is trademarked before anyone else is using
it, then you could sue if someone registered a domain
name using your business name (or a common misspelling)
to sell products or services that are extremely similar
to your own. For instance, if someone else ever tried
to register something like Microsoft.net, or even microsort.net,
for the purpose of selling computers and software, Microsoft
could sue them to stop them from using the domain name.
This is to stop scammers and competitors from trying to
profit off of a trademarked name. In some countries, you
can’t even register a domain with their country-specific
extension unless you own the trademark there for that
business name.
Myth: If I own the trademark for my company’s name, I
automatically have the right to register my company’s
name as a domain name.
Fact: You do not, in fact, have the right to register
any domain name, even if you have a trademark on the corresponding
company name. The reason for this is that a trademark
on a business name doesn’t give you exclusive access to
use that name. It only gives you exclusive access to use
that name for the particular products and / or services
that you offer. Going back to our above example, let’s
say Microsoft forgot to renew their registration on Microsoft.net. While they could sue
another computer manufacturer or software company for
registering the domain name without question, let’s assume
it’s registered by a small company making microfiber-covered
sofas and other furniture. The name makes sense – ‘micro’
as an abbreviation for microfiber, and ‘soft’ because
it’s a very soft fabric. That company has every right
to use the company name Microsoft, and they would own
the trademark for that company name as it applies to the
products they sell. Because of that, Microsoft couldn’t
do anything to get their .net domain name back except
offering to buy it outright.
Myth: A domain is only worth registering if you can get
the .com version.
Fact: Many web sites have been successful using .net,
.org, and country-specific domain extensions. Don’t reject
an otherwise good domain name just because the .com extension
isn’t available. If you’re setting up a domain name based
on keywords, a .net or .org shouldn’t make too much of
a difference. If you’re selling products or services to
only residents of your country, a country-specific domain
extension could prove to be quite profitable for you,
as it tells your target market that you’re specifically
selling to them.
Myth: You should never use dashes in a domain name.
Fact: While including dashes in a domain name isn’t ideal,
it also shouldn’t be forbidden. Dashes make it harder
to market your domain name via word of mouth, but they
can be very effective if you’re determined to use a keyword-rich
domain name for a general content site, if the version
without the dashes isn’t available.
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Learn more domain name tips at http://www.domainnamescenter.com/
and find cheap web hosting at http://www.abetterwebhost.com/
This article is free for republishing
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/ |
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