{"id":1976,"date":"2019-12-06T04:23:51","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T04:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/delaneysilva.com\/blog\/?p=1976"},"modified":"2019-12-09T18:35:43","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T18:35:43","slug":"domain-names-and-their-intellectual-property-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/delaneysilva.com\/blog\/domain-names-and-their-intellectual-property-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Domain Names and their Intellectual Property Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A domain name<\/em> is the user-friendly form of an internet \nprotocol (IP) address that allows users to locate and access a company\u2019s\n web page on the internet. (The real technical IP address is a series of\n numbers which is invisible to the viewers.) Domain names are comprised \nof two levels: the Second-Level Name (such as \u201cGoogle\u201d, \u201cYahoo\u201d or \n\u201cNetflix\u201d) and the Top-Level-Domain (such as \u201c.com\u201d, \u201c.org\u201d or \u201c.net\u201d). \nIt is the Second-Level Name that is chosen by the site\u2019s proprietor, and\n what becomes the company\u2019s identifier and promoter on the web. Thus, \nthe choice of a domain name ultimately becomes an important business \ndecision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The internet today is much more than a simple mode of communication \nand entertainment. In our view, it has now become the main source of \nbusiness information, an important means to trade and advertise, and to \ncarry out commercial activity in an interconnected-world. Therefore, the\n domain name not only serves as an address to provide access to a \ncompany\u2019s site, but also distinguishes specific goods and services, as \nwell as identifies a business as a whole. Under this premise, the role \nof the domain name likens itself to that of a trade or service mark and,\n as such, the domain name must also be unique and distinctive, and its \nuse must be exclusive when used in connection with a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, in reference to the ever-growing presence of commercial enterprises on the web and the internet\u2019s central role in business today, once said that \u201c\u2026domains have and will go up in value faster than any other commodity ever known to man\u201d. Just like trade or service marks and other intellectual properties, domain names are becoming important assets for companies and may add considerable value to the operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, as is the case with trade or service marks, domain names can also be subject to infringement and other intellectual property violations. One practice is called cybersquatting<\/em>, which occurs when unscrupulous persons register someone else\u2019s trade or service mark or business name as their own domain name, with the sole purpose of extracting money from the rightful owners or causing confusion among consumers. And such as with other intellectual property, domain name registration and protection becomes of the utmost importance for businesses with strong internet presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although domestic trademark legislation in some countries provide \nrecognition of domain names as intellectual property, and offer a \ncertain degree of protection (such is the case of the Nicaraguan \nTrademark and Other Distinctive Signs Act, Ley de Marcas y Otros Signos Distintivos<\/em>),\n local registration in these countries cannot provide protection \nworldwide. Whatever provisions or resources they may establish in order \nto protect domain names of their nationals are limited to their own \njurisdiction. Therefore, their practical effects are usually reduced to \nprotecting names with Country-Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD\u2019s); such as \n\u201c.com.ni\u201d for Nicaragua, or \u201ccom.mx\u201d for Mexico, because the \nregistration authority for these ccTLD\u2019s are locally based inside the \ncountry and subject to the jurisdiction of their courts. But what \nhappens in case of infringement to generic TLD\u2019s: the simple \u201c.com\u201d or \n\u201c.net\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Just like trade or service marks and other intellectual properties, domain names are becoming important assets for companies and may add considerable value to their operation.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

No national trademark law is fully capable of protecting trade or \nservice marks in countries of the world over, and much less domain names\n whose use or infringement is done exclusively in cyberspace. Because of\n the non-border nature and international reach of the internet, domain \nnames are assigned and managed through the Domain Name System (DNS), \nwhich is a global database administered by the Internet Corporation for \nAssigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). With support from the World \nIntellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ICANN has taken measures to \nregister and enforce domain names at a global level: a rigorous system \nof registration to verify that domain names are not being duplicated on \nICANN\u2019s database, a public and accessible database of all registered \ndomain names and proprietors to allow background searches before \napplying for registration, a dispute resolution policy that allows \ndomain names to be protected in an arbitration process sponsored by WIPO\n and ICANN, and promoting harmonization between trademark legislation in\n different countries to assure mutual recognition and cooperation in the\n protection of domain names as intellectual property worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although conflicts of law between different jurisdictions and the costly process of taking a complaint to ICANN and WIPO\u2019s dispute resolution mechanism still makes prosecution against violators a complicated affair, there have been significant advances in recognizing domain names as intellectual property and in establishing resources to ensure their proper protection. And as the internet is fast becoming the central platform for the exchange of goods, services and business information, we can be expecting further developments intended to provide domain names full global protection on par<\/em> with trade or service marks, and other traditional intellectual properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just like trade or service marks and other intellectual properties, domain names are becoming important assets for companies and may add considerable value to their 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