What is a domain name?
In short, the domain name is the address identifying your business in the Internet. While some time ago the purpose of websites was mainly to promote physical stores on the Internet, now the situation is completely different with physical stores becoming a place to promote online businesses. It is safe to say that nowadays more people prefer to shop or get services online rather than offline.
Domains are the easily readable forms of Internet addresses and are commonly used to locate websites. For example, the domain <ipfabrika.com> is used to find the website of IPFabrika on https://www.ipfabrika.com. The domain also forms the basis of other methods or applications on the Internet, such as file transfer (ftp) or email addresses.
How can I get a domain?
Registration is instant as long as the domain you choose is free. Registration is done through the so-called registries, which are authorized companies for registration services.
Are there different types of domains?
Domains can be two types:
- gTLD: generic top-level domains such as: “.com“, “.net”, “.org”, “.online”, “.book”
- ccTLD: country code top-level domains, corresponding to a particular country or territory, such as: “.bg”, “.co”, “.es”, “.eu”
Choosing the type of domain depends on your pursued strategy and where your business is based. If you would like us to check if the domain you have chosen is available and register it for you, email us at [email protected].
In addition, we can also assist you in choosing the right type of domain for your business needs.
How long are the domains valid for?
Domains can be registered for a minimum of 1 year and can be renewed as many times as you wish.
If you fail to renew your registration on time, however, your domain may be deactivated and even auctioned. In this way, third parties can bid for your domain and the winner of the auction becomes the new owner of the domain.
Why is important to have a domain?
If you want to offer your products or services online and make your business recognisable to consumers, you need a domain where customers can easily find your website. The domain can be descriptive of the services you offer (e.g. <books.com>) or contain your trademark (e.g. <ipfabrika.com>).
What do you need to know about the relationship between domains and trademarks?
While domain registration is quick and easy, one domain cannot contain another trademark. If this happens, the trademark owner can file a complaint, usually through the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). Learn more about the disputes between domains and trademarks here.
If you need to protect your trademark because someone has registered it as a domain, contact us here.
What else can we help you with?
In addition to comprehensive assistance before, during and after the domain registration procedure, we can offer you more:
- Free preliminary search
- Domain registration
- Registration renewal
- Trademark registration
- Domain name disputes – someone has registered a domain that is similar or identical to your trademark
- Copyright infringement protection – someone has copied text, images, music or software from your website
- SEO solutions
- Contracts and licensing of IP
- General Terms and Conditions
- GDPR
- Cookies
- Confidential information protection
- Copyright protection related to software, web pages, web design