Gone In 60 Seconds - Page 2

At least it seemed most new domain names were gone in 60 seconds. Even on the system's first-come, first-serve basis, many new names were snapped up before the average person knew what was happening. Some are legitimate, some are squatters, and some are people just trying to prevent their competition from getting a suitable name.

While the system is designed to prevent squatting and suppressing competition, there is no sign of it working to date.

Because a single registration is not all that expensive, squatters can buy them up by the bushel basket full and then charge a premium price to anyone who may wish to purchase a particular name. Yes, it's free enterprise and that is fine, but it is also harmful to the Internet business community in the long run.

That is why you can go to a place such as Great Domains and see domain names offered for thousands of dollars by people who already have them. On the other hand, you can find some reasonably priced domains for sale on Domainbook.com.

Some of those sellers are banking on people being desperate enough to pay huge amounts of money to have their company name, but smaller companies usually cannot begin to afford those prices. What are some samples of prices currently on that site? America.com can be had for a mere $15 million; stocks.com is a bargain at $2.5 million; Loans.com sold for $3 million; Fruits.com brought in $160,000.

That's a lot of money, people. For $3 million I'll sell my domain name and throw in my house, a 1989 Ford Bronco II, and two cats. Throw in another $200,000, and I'll keep the cats.

Why Do I Even Need A Domain Name?

No, life won't end if you are unable to get the domain name you want, but there are benefits to having a domain rather than having a subdomain (for example: www.cheapsite.com/~yoursite).

The first and most obvious reason is that your own domain name presents a better image for your business, allowing it to look more professional and providing name branding. As a subdomain, your site appears to be cheap, and that isn't the image most businesses wish to project.

A domain name can be built around the company's features, products or services. It is also important to remember that those same items are prevalent in your offline advertising, and it can make it easier for clients to find your site.

Another reason for having your own domain is that it allows you to change Internet service providers (ISP) without a name change. That way if you get a better price, support, or connection speed, you won't be stuck with your current ISP.

So What Can You Do?

While short domain names are preferable, the fact is most of them will be gone when you try to find one. There are, after all, millions of domain names registered. Therefore, the alternative is a longer name, perhaps more descriptive of your company than the actual name itself.

When we discovered that CCI was gone, we began searching for alternatives. Because we do desktop publishing for the Internet, we finally chose desktopnet.com. We have another one — cci-publishing.com — which later became available.

Do we like those names? No, but at least the companies using CCI.everythingelse are legitimate users who just beat us to the punch. Hey, that's showbiz.

However, for companies that have a trademark on their name, there are options to pursue if another company has that domain. Begin by contacting your lawyer. ICANN does have a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy that has set procedures to assist in limiting consumer confusion and cybersquatting.

In fact, anti-cybersquatting law requires domain holders to give the domain name to the trademark/copyright owner upon request. Failure to do so can result in having to explain your actions to a judge.

Basically, trademark holders are allowed to claim their TLD before registrations are open to the public. In some cases, companies can challenge registrations that are made in conflict with trademark rights already owned. That costs $295 per challenge, but if the challenge is won $220 is returned. The other $75 is for "administrative costs." Of course, that doesn't include legal fees.

All that is fine for larger companies with legal staffs, but for small companies it can be tough to afford the challenge and legal costs of such issues.

The (Domain) Name Game
But Aren't There Other Alternatives? - Page 3