Domain Name Strategies For Brand Owners

Having a website is essential for any business wishing to have an online presence. In doing so, brand owners are well advised to take control of their domain name management. It is a truism that any brand worth protecting is worth hijacking and nowhere is it easier to misappropriate than in cyberspace where domain names are available on a first registrant basis and the costs of registration are low.

If there is a brand reputation existing in cyberspace, it is at risk of brand misappropriation. There will be cyberpirates or competitors who have designs on the brand reputation ready to misappropriate the brand wholesale or devise brands close to it via 'me – too' brands in a bid to usurp the vault of goodwill and reputation inherent in a brand. The threat of a brand being misappropriated and appearing as a domain name of another is increasingly on the rise due to the spread of social media and with the ever deepening level of internet penetration.