Domain Name Problems: Common Issues

With the Internet appeared the ability for ordinary citizens to disseminate information without large financial investments. All it takes is to register a domain name, create a website, and share content with an existing community (or even create one). And thanks to the unlimited possibilities of the Internet, information has the potential to hit communities worldwide. Therefore, the creation of information resources on the Internet very quickly became popular and became widespread. But with new opportunities come new challenges, especially when it comes to the role of domain names. Specifically, let’s discuss some common domain name problems in more detail.

DOMAIN NAMES AS A TRADEMARK

Today it is common knowledge that a domain name is, by its very nature, individual and unique. There are no identical domain names on the Internet. Over the years, the practice of filing a trademark registration for a domain name has become more and more common, as many businesses register domain names that contain their trademarks. It is one of the most effective ways of protecting a website domain. How does this effect regular domain registrants? It just means some caution is required.

Registering domain names that are highly similar to brands that have a registered trademark is a domain name problem. If that brand discovers your domain and deems it an issue, they may take action and challenge the ability for you to use the domain name entirely. If they're successful, you'll lose access to the domain, which could have large consequences depending on how you were utilizing it. For example, if it was your main business online platform, losing and changing domains suddenly can confuse your existing audience, effect sales, and impact your SEO.

The reason a brand could be successful in shutting down these similar domains is that they could argue you're trying to represent or be affiliated with their brand; confusing and/or potentially stealing their customers (especially if you're in related industries). You don't want to go through this process. To be safe, it can be a good practise to do research on registered trademarks similar to your domain prior to commiting to one. 

DOMAIN ADMINISTRATION

Registering a domain name can be very easy. Choose a free name, provide some information, pay and you're done. Domain name problems may appear later, for example, when transferring a domain name or renewing it. A common occurrence is that the provided domain name registrant data or contacts are not up to date.

Changing this data can take time and lead to unplanned delays or even expenses. Also, do not forget about the timely renewal of the domain, otherwise, it can be lost. This will help you prevent trademark domain name hijacking too, which is sometimes referred to as cybersquatting. This is when a third party gets a hold of your domain name that is registered as a trademark with intention of selling it back to you. Cybersquatting always leads to unplanned expenses and can even happen even with larger companies.

Recommendation: Renew domains on time, and consider setting up auto-renewal. Most accredited registrars have this option, with Dynadot being one of them.

A common problem arises when a company orders a website from web developers, and along with it receives hosting and a domain name. Later, the developers are not in charge of the project, and the business owner finds himself in an unpleasant situation. It turns out that the domain name is registered to an unknown person, there is no access to domain management, and it is impossible to change data or gain access without the consent of the person specified during domain registration.

Recommendation: Register domains yourself or require a domain name to be registered with your contact details/information. Administration rights should belong only to you or your company.

The domain administrator must remember that at any time the registrar has the right to demand documentary evidence of the provided owners’ personal and contact data. Postponing or ignoring the registrar’s request letter is dangerous because, if after several days of receiving the letter registrar has no response, the domain name can be removed from delegation. The registrar will certainly notify you of this through the contact information you have provided. This is why it is important to keep your provided data updated.

DOMAIN NAME VIOLATIONS

If a violation is discovered, it can be reported to the registrar with a request to remove the domain name from the delegation. The decision whether to do this or not depends on the type of violation reported to the competent organization. There are many types of domain violations (sometimes referred to as domain abuse). You can see the different types by reviewing our “Report Domain Abuse” page.

It is important to know that competent organizations treat domain owners with utmost importance, which is why evidence of abuse claims needs to be substantial and properly reviewed. This is so disputes or abuse reports don’t result in the removal of the rights over the domain name without important reasons.

If your domain name has been blocked at the request of any organization, contact the domain name registrar to receive more information. If the request of the organization contains false information that does not correspond to the actual circumstances, inform the registrar about this.

BE RESPONSIBLE AND STAY DILIGENT

In this article, we covered common domain name problems to help you understand these occurrences, so hopefully, you can prevent them from happening to you. Each case is assessed on its facts but the bottom line is safe networking, and the key to having a healthy website is providing valuable resources in line with the legal rights applied to your industry. Being responsible will help you avoid all unnecessary problems.