Domain Name Protection

Domain names are not protected by copyright law. Instead, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) an international non-profit corporation, has taken on the responsibility for allocating Internet Protocol (IP) address space and managing the domain name system.

Disputes over domain names arise for various reasons. Companies choose domain names for their web sites that are easily recognizable and that are often related to their trademark. People have been known to acquire a domain name only so they can sell it at a profit or prevent the owner of the trademark (usually a competitor) from using it.

The ICANN has specific procedures for resolving these disputes, however legal representation is recommended.