Patent, copyright issues with domain names

[Ronald]

Hi,

Are there any issues with patents that need to be taken into account when deciding on a domain name? And are there any places where names can be checked for patents or copyright etc?

I have a domain name chosen and it is available but I would like to be sure before registering etc.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Ronald

[Blaine Moore]

Patents you don't have to worry about as that is a whole different ball of wax (patents deal with how to do something). Copyright I don't think would be an issue either, as I do not think that a domain name is unique enough in length to fall under copyright laws. You'd want to consult a lawyer about that if you are worried, though.

Trademarks are what you really need to worry about. If somebody has registered a trademark, then you don't want to infringe on it. You can search for trademarks from the US Patent and Trademark office.

Main Page: Trademarks
TESS (Trademark electronic Search System): Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)

(This is not legal advice, and I am completely ignorant of how other countries outside of the US handle their patents, copyrights, and trademarks.)

[Ronald]

Thankyou Blaine for your informative post. Trademark was the word I was after and the link you provided was useful.

Regards
Ronald.

[Blaine Moore]

No problem.