| Domain Names are the names that are used to | | | | containing or related to their trademark (this illegal |
| identify web sites, and for groups of email addresses. | | | | practice is known as "cybersquatting). |
| For example, yahoo.com, google.com, gmail.com, and | | | | Another issue that can arise is what if a domain |
| slashdot.org are all examples. As you may have | | | | owner fails to pay the renewal fees (which are paid |
| noticed, each of these names has a particular ending, | | | | annually or bi-annually for most types of domains) |
| which in many cases (but not always) can help | | | | that are required in order to maintain ownership of |
| identify the purpose of the domain - the most | | | | their domain. In this case, what happens is domain is |
| common ending for business sites being .com. Other | | | | eventually "expired", and these expired names |
| domain endings include .net, .org, .gov which is | | | | eventually become available to the public to register |
| reserved for US governmental sites, and .edu which | | | | again on a first-come-first-basis - however, of course, |
| is reserved for US educational organizations, as well | | | | in the case of valuable expired domain names there |
| as various country-specific domain ends such as | | | | may be a large number of people wanting to register |
| .co.uk which is often used by UK based companies. | | | | that name. |
| Additionally, new domain endings have been created | | | | A wide variety of downloadable tools are available |
| from time to time, such as .mobi which is intended | | | | for working with domains, and some of these can be |
| for web sites accessible from mobile phones, and a | | | | very useful. These tools include: |
| recent decision by ICANN (the organization | | | | * Domain Name Suggestion Tools - It can be hard to |
| responsible for the domain name system) has allowed | | | | find good quality available names, especially .com's. |
| the possibility of many more types of domains being | | | | Suggestion tools are software tools that search for |
| created in future. | | | | available domains based on combinations of |
| For most types of domains, domains names are | | | | keywords, etc., and then help you register them. |
| issued on a first-come-first-served basis to paying | | | | * Expired Domain Name Tools - There are a wide |
| customers. The exception is when trademarks is | | | | variety of tools for working with expired names, |
| involved - for some domain types, trademark holders | | | | including tools to help you find domains that are |
| have been priority for initial registrations, but for all, | | | | about to expire. |
| trademark holders generally have some recourse | | | | * Tutorials - There are many tutorials about domains, |
| (which may include obtaining the relevant name) if | | | | including tutorials about trading them. |
| somebody else tries to illegally exploit names | | | | |