Computers

Four years ago, a company I was involved with ran into a very interesting problem with their website. It turned out that the name they wanted for their site was already taken. To make matters worse, it was the most obvious domain name for their website and anyone looking for them would probably end up there first.

Domain Name Hosting: What to Do?
In some cases, the reason this happens is simply a matter of cyber squatting. Cyber squatting is when a group or an individual buys up domain names in the hopes of selling them later for a large sum. Some famous examples of this are celebrity names, and a few of those cases have gone to court.

The courts have generally come down on the side of the company with the brand or the celebrity. The few exceptions had to do with individuals who demonstrated that they had indeed maintained a real website, and they werent just doing it for profit. In other words, the history of the domain name and the website showed they werent just squatting.

If you have a new company, or even an old company that doesnt have a site yet, its a good idea to reserve your domain name quickly. There are a number of companies that will aid you in this endeavor, including some that also handle hosting. If you have a very distinctive brand, youll want to make sure you register .org, .com and even .tv so that nobody can exploit your brand.