|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page: 1
First, consider your domain name. Do you have yourcompany.com, or do you have one of the other extensions such as .ca, .org, .net or .biz? If you are looking to choose a domain name in the future, a .com address is always best. If the .com is not available and you are a Canadian company, .ca is the next best choice. We also believe that picking up other domain extensions for your name can help you avoid problems in the future, as it prevents other companies from picking up those extensions. Sometimes it just isn’t possible to get any of the extensions for the domain name you want, we then suggest you choose a domain name that is relevant to your company or product and is easy to remember.
Another problem with domain names is spelling. Do you have a company name that is easy to mistype, often misspelled, or that contains a word with multiple spellings? For example, your company may be Travel Centre, and you want the domain name travelcentre.com. This may limit your customers unless you also pick up travelcenter.com as well. Related to this problem are singular and plural company names. You may own usedcar.ca, but what about usedcars.ca? By registering both domain names, you can maximize your exposure and limit confusion.
The third problem you may encounter is unsolicited invoices from companies that you do not do business with. The invoice will look legitimate and will charge a fee for a service related to your domain. The invoice may cite "web hosting", "redirection" and/or other services, claiming to have provided them. We encourage you to check the company name on the invoice to the name of the company you know supplies the service to you and only pay the charge if the names match. For example, if iias provides your domain registration, only accept invoices from iias for this service. This will help you avoid any non-legitimate charges.
Another problem that can occur is when the .com for your company name is already taken and the owner of that .com may try to sell it to you. When this happens, you have three possible courses of action. First, you can file a Domain Name Dispute with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or the National Arbitration Forum (NAF).