Defensive Domain Name Registration
As new generic top level domains (gTLDs) are added; those behind the latest registries may urge defensive domain name registration. So what is it – and should small businesses really care? Defensive domain name registration is the practice of registering the name of your primary domain in different extensions and other variations. For example, the registrant of example.com.au may decide to also register the.com version as well to prevent a competitor from doing so, or perhaps even exampel.com (known as a “typo” domain). While this can be an expensive undertaking, corporations often do this to protect their brands from cybersquatting and to avoid having to take costly and time-consuming legal action should another party infringe on their brand – action that may or may not be successful. Even a self-prepared submission under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) will cost a minimum of $1,500 for a single domain name; regardless of the outcome. Wh...