As part of our Internet Law & eCommerce practice, we provide domain name acquisition services
Domain Name Acquisition Considerations
Companies and brand owners secure domain names relevant to their brands for online business. However, business owners should consider intellectual property factors at time of domain acquisition. This is most important for new business owners starting a new business and picking a company name and domain. Domain names can potentially infringe upon another’s trademark or brand name.
Domain Name Registration and Transactions
Our attorneys assist with domain name selection, registration, and maintenance. Prior to registration, we perform domain and trademark clearance searches to help prevent intellectual property disputes over a chosen domain. We also provide guidance on registration practices and protections to help avoid ownership issues and security concerns.
Large companies entrust us to maintain their large domain portfolios to avoid the tedious nature of tracking renewals. We maintain a docket and communicate with business unit owners regarding the disposition of brands and lines. This allows us to help businesses with new domain acquisition and letting domains to lapse that no longer of value.
In addition, we assist with domain transactions. Domain transactions include the acquisition of domains from third party owners, negotiation of domain buyouts or sales, and domain licensing.
Domain Dispute Avoidance
To avoid malicious practices such as cyber squatting, typo squatting, username squatting, or online impersonation, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”) has implemented a number of practices to deter misuse. For example, ICANN currently enforces a 60-day waiting period on domain transfers. Similarly, ICANN allows for the “locking” of domains to make domain theft more difficult.
However, domain theft remains a concern. We advise on precautions to avoid losing a domain through unsafe Internet practices.
Defensive Domain Name Acquisition
ICANN’s release of numerous new top level domain name extensions also increases the ability for cybersquatting. Therefore, we offer defensive domain name acquisition of domains containing your brand name or confusingly similar names. The cost of acquiring domains is less compared to the cost of administrative proceedings or litigation to remedy infringement.
Domain Name Disputes and Litigation
Read more about our litigation services at our intellectual property litigation overview page and our business litigation overview page, including Domain Name Litigation, Cybersquatting, and UDRP Domain Name Proceedings.
Additional Insights Regarding Domain Name Acquisition
For more information on domain name acquisition, see our Legal Insights and Industry Solutions pages.
