Do You Protect Your Domain Names?

Your domain name is rapidly becoming synonymous with your brand--or at least it should be. People turn to the Internet for information and to actually buy products and services more and more often, and that trend will continue. If you do not protect your domain name and proactively prevent others from registering it or its variants, your customers may suddenly be unable to find you--or worse, they may find your competitors instead. Imagine driving down the street intending to arrive at a particular business and finding the building gone, only to be replaced by an "adult store" or a competitor's business! This is analogous to what happens when you do not monitor, protect, and enforce your domain names. Another example: guess who owns the domain name "Microsoftsucks.com"? If you guessed Bill Gates, you guessed wrong. Look it up and see for yourself--post a comment with the name of the registrant and your opinion as to why Microsoft does not own this domain. If Bill Gates can lose control over a domain that involves his flagship trademark, so can you. Be vigilant and protect this important web "real estate!"