WHAT'S IN A NAME.(obtaining and protecting a domain name)(Brief Article)

Domain names substitute an easy-to-remember word or phrase (like yahoo.com or uspto.gov) for a Web site's technical numerical address. Allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis, no two domain names are exactly the same.

Trademarks can co-exist in the real world under certain circumstances, but not in cyberspace. For example, Road Runner Computer Corp. can own a registered service mark "Road Runner" for its computer services, and Warner Brothers can register the Road Runner cartoon character as a trademark for its merchandise. But both companies cannot have roadrunner.com as their domain name; the computer would not be able to tell which one was which.

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