Be Aware of the Copyright issues Before Getting a Domain Name Registered

When foraying in the world of web marketing, it is essential to select the best domain name that can draw many visitors. Many people chose tried and tested names which are very popular among the customers. However, they forget to check whether the given domain names are violating any copyright law. A minor mistake or an oversight can prove detrimental to a business. Therefore, it is advised to act diligently before domain name registration. Of late, Australian markets are seeing many copyright infringement issues arising out of some small mistakes.

Before domain registration, it is important for one to understand the copyright law and its relevance to domain name registration. A name, symbol or word that has been registered as a copyright or a trademark by a company or an individual cannot be used by any other organization in any way for business purposes. The importance of copyright is that it distinguishes the products and services of one company from another.

A company is known with the trademark and its identity is with that name and suddenly if someone encroach this territory it is an offence. For instance, if you are dealing in a product called smart phone and if other company has registered the smart phone as a trademark, then you cannot use it as a domain name, because it will amount to copyright infringement and invites penalty. Hence, one should always select domain names that are not trademarks and copyrights of any other company.

A business must consider following points before domain name registration.

Always select domain names that are relevant to your business and the products and services you are dealing in. Therefore, it is easier to convince the authorities even if it is a minor breach.

At the time of domain registration, choose more than one domain. If one domain name is coming in the way of any trademark, you have the other to fall back on.
Search the trade mark database thoroughly and check if your domain name is a registered trade mark of copyright.

Sometimes, even if the name is different from the trademark but it is quite close to the trademark, then too it will be considered as a breach of the copyright law. For instance, “smart phone” if spelled “smart fone” can puzzle many people and actually poach the visitors from smart phone. This is a serious offence too. So, due care should be undertaken while selecting a suitable name at the time of domain registration.