Intellectual property rights also extend to the online environment. With the online environment being the main source of new customers for many enterprises, companies now face the challenge of protecting their intellectual property rights on the Internet.
Many companies have already registered brand names in the form of domains on the Internet for future use. Even corporate names had been registered.
Domain name purchasing to match company names has lead to a lucrative market for domain parkers. They simply register as many as possible names to ensure a monopoly and once a company embarks on a branding route, the company then has to buy the domain name at an expensive price.
The companies with well established brands have not suffered yet, but smaller companies wishing to brand their products and images must pay enormous prices.
One of the trends is to wait for domains to lapse. If the owner doesn’t pay the annual registration fee in time, the domain comes up for grabs. The bottom line is that competition for branding on the Internet necessitates that companies set policies for online branding and take all necessary steps to protect their intellectual property rights on the Internet.
Fortunately generic names can be awarded to anyone who applies, if the names are still available. Even through a company can brand for instance, as Mega-insurance.com, no one can claim branding right to Insurance.com on the Internet.
Only if the purpose is to dilute a brand, will it stand in court when it comes to branded domain names.
With a market wide open and with rules slightly different from the normal marketplace, companies need to get the assistance of lawyers to help them determine whether their intellectual property rights have been infringed on the Internet.
To this end we offer our services as lawyers specializing in trademarks, patents, branding, designs, and copyright also pertaining to the online environment
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