What is a domain name?
Simply put, a domain name is the address that identifies your business on the Internet. Some time ago, the purpose of websites was to promote physical shops on the Internet, and now physical shops have become a place to promote online businesses. Arguably, nowadays more people prefer to shop (or arrange services) online rather than offline.
Domain names are the human-readable forms of Internet addresses and are commonly used to locate websites. For example, the <adoraip.com> domain is used to locate Adora IP’s website at https://adoraip.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 name?
As long as the domain name you have chosen is free, registration is instant. Registration takes place through the so-called Registrars, which are companies authorised to offer such services. There are two types of domain names:
gTLD: generic Top-Level Domains such as “.com”, “.net”, “.org”, “.online”, “.book”
ccTLD: country code Top-Level Domains corresponding to a specific country or territory such as “.bg”, “.co”, “.es”, “.eu”
Choosing the type of domain name depends on your strategy and where the business is based. If you want us to check if the domain you have chosen is free and register it for you, contact us through this form.
How long are domain names valid for?
Domain names can be registered for a minimum of 1 year and renewed as many times as you wish.
Why is it important to have a domain name?
If you want to offer your products or services on the Internet, you need a domain name where your customers can find your website. The domain name can be descriptive of the services you offer (e.g. <books.com>) or contain your trade mark (e.g. <adoraip.com>). On the other hand, your domain name must not contain trade marks that belong to others.
What do I need to know about domain names and trade marks?
While domain registration is very quick and easy, usually without a Registrar check, care must be taken with third parties’ trade mark rights. A domain name cannot contain the trade mark of another. If this happens, the trade mark owner can file a complaint, most often through the special administrative dispute resolution procedure of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
If you need help with defending your brand because someone has registered it as a domain name, contact us through here.
What else can we help with?
In addition to comprehensive assistance before, during and after the domain registration procedure, we can also offer you:
- Preliminary search for domain name availability with result in 24h (free)
- Domain name registration
- Domain name renewal
- Drafting and sending of cease and desist letters
- Domain name disputes – someone has registered a domain that is similar or identical to your brand or your domain name has been attacked by a trade mark owner
- Copyright infringement – someone has copied text, images, music or software from your website
- Contracts and licensing
