Law Office of Marc D. Machtinger, Ltd.

Questions & Answers

Mr. Machtinger is an experienced Intellectual Property Attorney, providing the following professional services related to Domain Names:
Free initial telephone consultations. Clearance searches, analyses, and opinion.	Availability searches and registrations. Dispute matters

What is a Domain Name? Domain names are the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) addresses which identify the location of a website. For example, "patentstation.com" is the domain name for this website. Anyone may easily register an available domain name. Domain names may be registered for varying periods of time, with a fee proportional to the number of years of registration. Registration must be renewed at the expiration of the registration period in order to maintain control over them. A domain name does not give you a website. Websites must be created and set up with your domain name. You may have to pay monthly fees in order to have your website hosted.

back to top

How do I register a Domain Name? Domain names can be quickly and easily registered online through various websites of authorized registrars, or over the telephone. Currently, domain names can be registered for as little as $13.50 per year if you register them yourself. Once the domain name has been registered, it can be easily transferred such that you can use any company you wish to host your website. To check for Domain Name availability, try a search on a website such as Whois.net, A new browser window will open which you can close out to return to this site. However, be sure to read the rest of this guide before registering your Domain Name.

back to top

If my Domain Name is available, why should I consider a clearance study? The use of a domain name can be an infringement of the rights of a trademark owner. If you will be using a domain name which could possibly be similar to an existing trademark, it may be prudent to have a clearance study conducted in order to determine whether potential problems exist. It is advisable to perform a clearance study before investing heavily into the domain name.

back to top

What is "Cybersquatting?" Cybersquatting is the registration of a domain name which is the same as or confusingly similar to a trademark owned by another with the bad faith intent to profit from the domain name, such as by selling the domain name registration to the owner of the mark, or by diverting traffic from the owner of the mark. Cybersquatting is an actionable tort under the Cyberpiracy Antisquatting Consumer Protection Act. Advice of counsel should be sought when such situations arise.

back to top