Federal Insurance Federation's Blog

Have you had a brilliant business idea? It can be tempting to register an internet domain name and start selling your products or services online as quickly as you can, but it’s important to be cautious and check that your domain name is not likely to encroach on the website of another business. Another company may claim that by using your domain name you have damaged their business by diverting traffic away from their own website. Having liability insurance in place as part of your Frederick business insurance may compensate you for the cost of defending a suit for ‘cyber-squatting’ but it can be costly and inconvenient if you have to start your business all over again because of a domain name dispute.

•    You may have to rename your website.
•    You may need to change the name of your business to align with the new domain name.
•    You may have to ask all sites that were linked to your old domain name to link to your new site.
•    Your search engine rankings may slump.

Think hard about the business name and domain name you choose, and seek legal advice if there is a risk that your domain name will infringe another company’s rights. The liability portion of Frederick business insurance may compensate you for the legal costs of a cyber-squatting lawsuit if you have the right coverage, but the other costs of a domain name dispute can be heavy.
 

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