Can I trademark my domain name or blog?

You can attempt to trademark your domain name or blog.  It does have to  meet several standards in order to qualify for trademark protection.  Sometimes it may be more necessary than others.

Trademarking a domain name or blog is a must in some situations.  

If you are providing goods or services from an internet based business only, then a trademark is necessary to protect your business.  Someone could possibly use a very similar domain name selling the same products and piggyback off your marketing efforts.

You have a branded domain name.

If your domain name and your company name are the same. you may risk the same problems as an internet based business.  It would be possible for someone to use a domain name close to yours and piggyback off your publicity and marketing efforts.

There are alternatives to protect your blog that don’t require Trademark registration.

When you are registering your domain name, you can buy all of the extensions and common misspellings. The problem with this is that you constantly have to renew your registrations.  If you have a name that is commonly misspelled then the price can add up.  If you miss one and someone gets it then you can subject yourself to trademark problems.

Not all domain or blog names can be registered as a trademark.

If a domain name is “Musicstore” you probably won’t be able to get a trademark, however if the domain name was “Georgesmusicstore”, you could receive trademark protection.  Trademark law can be complicated and there is no for sure right/wrong scenario.  If you have any questions regarding Trademark Protection or Trademark Rights for your blog or domain name, contact us and receive a free consultation.