Wider recognition about the value in .co.uk internet addresses appears to be translating into more disputes between parties claiming to be their rightful owners.
Disputes over domain name ownership registered with web hosting firm Fasthosts have reportedly increased by 30 per cent in the past 12 months.
Companies typically found their claims of ownership were harder to prove or defend if they had registered a domain in an employee or advisor’s name.
Business owners were advised to check whether the company domain name was in their name, and transfer it across to themselves if not.
“In 2008, companies should view their domain name as intellectual property,” Steve Holford of Fasthosts told the Mail on Sunday, which reported on the study.
“Business owners can save themselves from potential losses and disruption by ensuring that every domain is registered continually in the proprietor’s own name.”
His comments come just days after Nominet reported its seven millionth .uk domain name, representing “significant growth” (1m) in addresses since July last year.
The non-profit firm said: “The increase in .uk registrations is further evidence that British Internet users recognise the value of having a .co.uk address.”
It pointed to a survey of 2,352 net users by pollster Opinion Matters, which recently found that 72% were more likely to choose .uk than .com when searching for information online.
Sep 1, 2008
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