Question: I had a vision and need another domain name. The company I contacted suggested I purchase their .com, .org, and .net suite for $140 American. An associate says I should protect myself, and get all 200 country codes too. Is this good device? And how much would this cost?

Nominee Replies

Lyman Chapin - posted on 2000-10-08 15:52:56 (a) You need just one domain name for each distinct IP-addressable system you'd like others to be able to reach. (b) You need to defend your trademark by registering in every top-level domain that is even remotely connected to the activity for which you've created your site(s) on the Internet. The disconnect between (a), which is how the DNS works from a purely technical standpoint, and (b), which is how the DNS has been imported into the realm of trademark law, is at the crux of the current DNS dispute. Unfortunately, it doesn't reveal an answer to your question. Barbara Simons - posted on 2000-10-07 23:54:11 I would like to see ICANN create many (thousands, tens of thousands) TLDs in the next year or two. There is no technical reason not to do this. The creation of a great many new TLDs will help alleviate the artificial scarcity that has been produced by the current system. It should also reduce or eliminate the pressure to purchase all versions of domain names for your company in every TLD, since the large numbers will make purchasing all instantiations of your name almost impossible. Emerson Tiller, J.D., Ph.D. - posted on 2000-10-07 14:41:00 All business plans require different strategies in domain name purchases. For some companies, buying up ccTLD's makes a lot of sense. For others it does not. You need to consider international competition, branding issues, and of course, the role that the UDRP might play in your plans. Lawrence Lessig - posted on 2000-10-07 06:20:07 It is a failure of the current system that people believe (and may be right) that they must have multiple domain names to protect their trademark rights. A more meaningful TLD system would avoid that.