Branding a domain name online is more than just buying a good name for a URL. It is more than having a Facebook page and a Twitter account to match your domain name. It is more than having a fancy logo designed to represent your brand.
Developers are always looking for ways to make their domain website properties more valuable. Most developers call directly to the idea that traffic will make their websites more valuable, although it will make their websites more valuable, it is not the only thing investors or potential buyer companies look for when investing in or buying a domain. First and foremost a premium domain does add value to any website property. And if the domain is properly branded, the website can be worth millions for the name alone. Now let's talk legal branding.
Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents
When you are trying to brand your domain, the only things you should be concerned with are copyrights and trademarks. Patents are more for software, where a developer can patent the script that he has written or specific program that he has developed.
Most websites have a copy right at the bottom which states the company's name, the little C with a circle around it, and a year or date. Your name, the little C or the word copyrights, and the year, are everything you need to assure that you have copyrighted your material. Once you have placed these three things at the bottom of any document you have written, you are telling the world that it is your brain work and effort that put out this product. You can have a copyright registered with the patent copyright and trademark office or simply protect yourself by assuring that you have software capable of providing a link for anyone that takes content from your website.
The owner of the copyrighted material has exclusive rights in copyrighted works. This means the owner of the copyright has the right to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phone records, to prepare derivative works based upon copyrighted work, to distribute copies of phone records of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or buy rental lease or lending. The owner of the copyright also has exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following: (1) in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, or choreographic works and motion pictures, to perform the copyrighted work publicly (2) in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic work the right to display the work publicly, and (3) in the case of sound recordings, to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.
For trademarks, the law varies and is a little different than for copyrights. A trademark is a word, symbol, or phrase, used to identify a particular manufacturer or sellers products and distinguish them from the products of another. This is the case for companies like coca-cola, Reebok, Adidas, Pepsi, and Jiffy Lube. All of the beef or mention companies have federally registered trademarks. If you look at the top of this blog, after our title pushyourrank, there is a small TM that follows. This means that the owner of the website is trying to claim the word mark, or symbol, in this case pushyourrank. If the same logo at the top of this blog had a little are with a circle around it, this means that the trademark has been federally registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Registering the trademark allow the user to use the trademark nationwide, and limits of other people from using the trademark. Simply putting a TM at the end of a word or symbol or logo assures that no one else can use it after the start of you claiming the trademark.
In general terms, a website owner can increase his brand or website value by trademarking the logo or the name of the website. The owner should also a sure that all the work on the website is copyrighted, so that he has the right to reproduce this content in the form of a book or movie or any other means he seems appropriate. Major companies, such as Coca Cola, commonly lease, license or sell their trademarks for cash money. If you are trying to build more than a website, and are looking to build a brand, or a a sustainable business, then learning about trademarks and copyrights is mandatory.
Some links you may find helpful
Developers are always looking for ways to make their domain website properties more valuable. Most developers call directly to the idea that traffic will make their websites more valuable, although it will make their websites more valuable, it is not the only thing investors or potential buyer companies look for when investing in or buying a domain. First and foremost a premium domain does add value to any website property. And if the domain is properly branded, the website can be worth millions for the name alone. Now let's talk legal branding.
Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents
When you are trying to brand your domain, the only things you should be concerned with are copyrights and trademarks. Patents are more for software, where a developer can patent the script that he has written or specific program that he has developed.
Most websites have a copy right at the bottom which states the company's name, the little C with a circle around it, and a year or date. Your name, the little C or the word copyrights, and the year, are everything you need to assure that you have copyrighted your material. Once you have placed these three things at the bottom of any document you have written, you are telling the world that it is your brain work and effort that put out this product. You can have a copyright registered with the patent copyright and trademark office or simply protect yourself by assuring that you have software capable of providing a link for anyone that takes content from your website.
The owner of the copyrighted material has exclusive rights in copyrighted works. This means the owner of the copyright has the right to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phone records, to prepare derivative works based upon copyrighted work, to distribute copies of phone records of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or buy rental lease or lending. The owner of the copyright also has exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following: (1) in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, or choreographic works and motion pictures, to perform the copyrighted work publicly (2) in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic work the right to display the work publicly, and (3) in the case of sound recordings, to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.
For trademarks, the law varies and is a little different than for copyrights. A trademark is a word, symbol, or phrase, used to identify a particular manufacturer or sellers products and distinguish them from the products of another. This is the case for companies like coca-cola, Reebok, Adidas, Pepsi, and Jiffy Lube. All of the beef or mention companies have federally registered trademarks. If you look at the top of this blog, after our title pushyourrank, there is a small TM that follows. This means that the owner of the website is trying to claim the word mark, or symbol, in this case pushyourrank. If the same logo at the top of this blog had a little are with a circle around it, this means that the trademark has been federally registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Registering the trademark allow the user to use the trademark nationwide, and limits of other people from using the trademark. Simply putting a TM at the end of a word or symbol or logo assures that no one else can use it after the start of you claiming the trademark.
In general terms, a website owner can increase his brand or website value by trademarking the logo or the name of the website. The owner should also a sure that all the work on the website is copyrighted, so that he has the right to reproduce this content in the form of a book or movie or any other means he seems appropriate. Major companies, such as Coca Cola, commonly lease, license or sell their trademarks for cash money. If you are trying to build more than a website, and are looking to build a brand, or a a sustainable business, then learning about trademarks and copyrights is mandatory.
Some links you may find helpful
- Branded Domain Names for Sale
- Overview of Trademark Law
- US Trademark Law USPTO
- US Copyright Law USPTO US Copyright Office
Have useful tips or information about the subject matter in this article? Feel free to comment below...
Hope this was helpful,
The PushYourRank Team
Author: Nicholas Coriano
About The Author: Nicholas Coriano is an Entrepreneur, Web Developer, Social Media Marketer, SEO Consultant and the founder of this blog and The NewYorkWebsiteDesignCenter.com. While developing websites for his own businesses and marketing his entrepreneurial ventures online, he began blogging useful tips and "how-to" articles on PushYourRank.com for reference purposes. To retain Nicholas for help with your Website, Social Media, SEO or other online/technology needs, email PushYourRank@Gmail.com
About PushYourRank.com: PushYourRank.com (the Blog) is a blog that helps small businesses, start-ups, developers, amateurs website builders, bloggers and entrepreneurs develop their websites, their social media presence, their search engine optimization techniques and more ....online. The Blog publishes articles about Ecommerce, Email Marketing and How To Make Money Online...as well as any topic that pertains to the Internet or Online. If you need help developing a website, SEO or Social Media outsourcing, see NewYorkWebsiteDesignCenter.com, if you would like to advertise or have us publish an article on a certain subject, please email us at PushYourRank@Gmail.com
Hope this was helpful,
The PushYourRank Team
Author: Nicholas Coriano
About The Author: Nicholas Coriano is an Entrepreneur, Web Developer, Social Media Marketer, SEO Consultant and the founder of this blog and The NewYorkWebsiteDesignCenter.com. While developing websites for his own businesses and marketing his entrepreneurial ventures online, he began blogging useful tips and "how-to" articles on PushYourRank.com for reference purposes. To retain Nicholas for help with your Website, Social Media, SEO or other online/technology needs, email PushYourRank@Gmail.com
About PushYourRank.com: PushYourRank.com (the Blog) is a blog that helps small businesses, start-ups, developers, amateurs website builders, bloggers and entrepreneurs develop their websites, their social media presence, their search engine optimization techniques and more ....online. The Blog publishes articles about Ecommerce, Email Marketing and How To Make Money Online...as well as any topic that pertains to the Internet or Online. If you need help developing a website, SEO or Social Media outsourcing, see NewYorkWebsiteDesignCenter.com, if you would like to advertise or have us publish an article on a certain subject, please email us at PushYourRank@Gmail.com