Recently, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved .xxx to join the elite ranks of .edu, .org, and, of course, .com as the next domain extension. As the name implies, .xxx will effectively try to create a voluntary Internet red light district for pornographic websites. It’s not hard to imagine why .xxx would be controversial, but why is .xxx necessary? The reasoning is that it will be far easier for search engines, employers, and schools to block any domains ending in .xxx. While this is good news for schools that want to protect against adult content, it…
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Archives: Trademarks
Claim Your Domains: The Cheapest, Easiest Way to Prevent Domain Name Issues
July 15, 2011
This is a common tip that I give to all of my clients, but I can’t say it often enough: register common alternatives to your domain name. Don’t zone out on me, this is a big deal. Let’s say you own MyBurrito.com. It’s easy to think of the common variations that your customers might type in when they’re searching for your page: My-Burrito.com MyBurritos.com MyBurrito.net MyBurito.com (not everyone is a world-class speller or typist) Now go back over that list and come up with all the other reasonable variations (My-Burito.net?). Register those domains and have them point back to your…
Budweiser’s New 619 Beer?
July 8, 2011
Macrobrewer Anheuser-Busch InBev recently applied with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register 619 (a San Diego area code) as a trademark for beer, along with similar applications for thirteen other U.S. area codes, including 314 (St. Louis), 305 (Miami), 202 (Washington, D.C.), 602 (Phoenix), 412 (Pittsburgh), 704 (Charlotte), 702 (Las Vegas), 214 (Dallas), 415 (San Francisco), 216 (Cleveland), 303 (Denver), 615 (Nashville), and 713 (Houston). Anheuser-Busch’s application for 619, if successful, would allow A-B to prevent other competitors in the beer market from using that area code as a brand identifier. It’s also possible that their umbrella of…
