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Canada:
How To Manage Domain Names
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There are ongoing domain name management issues to be
considered. Each registration includes contact information for the
registrant, billing, administration and technical matters. If there
are multiple domain names and different employees or departments
involved within a business, it can be difficult to coordinate the
management process. In some cases, third parties such as an
advertising agency may register a domain name relating to a
promotional event. Therefore, it is prudent to develop a generic
name and e-mail address as the standard contact information for all
domain name registrations. This will avoid potential problems where
employees named in a registration leave the company or their
employment is terminated.
Similar considerations apply to access codes and account
information with registrars. There should be centralized account
management and standardized procedures across the enterprise,
including all subsidiaries and divisions, to ensure domain names
are obtained and maintained as part of a proactive strategy. The
strategy should specify the extent of protection required in
relevant gTLDs and ccTLDs.
The importance of developing generic contact information is
illustrated in two situations. First, there will likely be numerous
renewal dates for existing domain name registrations. If a renewal
notice is not appropriately responded to, a registrar may
de-activate the domain in which case it will no longer resolve to
the designated IP address, resulting in blank pages or error
messages when customers attempt to browse the site. Further, the
de-activated domain name may become available for registration by a
third party.
Second, the administrative contact for a domain name frequently
has the authority to change any aspect of the domain name record,
including the server to which the IP address points. If an
individual employee listed as a domain administrative contact,
leaves the company on unfavorable terms, the prospect for problems
exists if the employee knows that they can control the domain
names. t is helpful to have domain names consolidated into a single
account with a specific registrar. Some registrars will allow
customers to assign varying access levels to designated
individuals.
Finally, it is prudent to choose a registrar which offers
heightened security measures. These measures, including various
“locking” and hardening features, can help address
potential cyber-attacks as well as dealing with domain name
issues.
It is also important to conduct searches periodically to
ascertain whether other domain names have been registered which are
potentially confusing with the domain names being managed. The
searches should extend to online social media sites such as
Facebook and Twitter, which can be used for cybersquatting or name
squatting activities. Typically, this will involve utilizing tools
to monitor third party use of brand components in domain names and
as a part of web content. Since there is much ground to cover the
focus should be narrowed to what is most important. The proactive
management of domain names and their link with brand names can be
an important element in combatting online fraud as cyber criminals
frequently attempt to use similar domain names as part of their
schemes. Similarly, the brand owner should carry out periodic
audits of domain registrations to ensure the portfolio is up to
date. If a brand owner engages in online marketing, electronic
branding guidelines, including brand name usage guidelines, should
be developed. In addition, the steps to ensure compliance should be
implemented.
It is also prudent to develop strategies to register new names a
brand owner may wish to use in the future or to prevent third
parties from using them. In addition, for new product launches,
mergers or name changes, domain names should be obtained in advance
and masked to avoid premature release. These strategies should
consider the availability of new TLDs.
Finally, a policy should be developed concerning the recovery of
domain names inappropriately registered by third parties.
Consideration should be given to what is to be done with recovered
domain names and associated website content. In deciding what to
do, the Internet traffic generated by the domain name will be an
important consideration.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
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