16) My Birthday and My Domain

Beautiful frozen day with white landscapes outside with a -8 C (21 F)?

I'm one year older and supposedly wiser? I don't know. I finally registered my domain, it took only a couple of minutes. It was a difficult thing to decide since I'm not 100% sure if I can use that name as a trademark, I did all the possible research it was possible and, unfortunately, I'm still not satisfied. However, it marked the first decision of many I'm going to be taking for a while. I also resigned my flat so I'm moving temporally with “family” in order to invest any possible cent in my project. I guess not so many parties for a while :)

Before, every company all over the world used to begin operations by registering the company in a government institution related to the registration of companies, of intellectual property, the tax office, etc.

Nowadays, it's different. The first thing you have to do is to find a name. An easy name to remember, catchy, without negative meanings in other languages, a name that will suit your product/service/company and the MOST important, it must be available on internet. It can finish with .com, .us, .se, .de, .fr, etc., sometimes you don't necessarily must have a .com address, specially if you are registering an organisation, then .org might be more suitable or if you plan to be a local company, then the local domain is the best option since many local people will always check out the local domain instead of international ones.

Many domains are taken and if they are, you can forget about those names for your company/product/service since it will be very difficult to regain the right to use those addresses. Usually the rebuying of those domains implies a lot of money and in some cases further legal problems. I think the best example is Apple Inc., the name and logo are among the most common ones all over the world making it a very negative option to choose, since, as it has been the case, many people around the globe have registered in some how that name for different purposes. On the other hand, the positives aspects are “easy”. Easy word, easy logo, easy to remember, basically non intercultural problems, etc.

So you must think in a company's name, product or service that it is simple, new and catchy and at the same time without the risk to mean something “negative” in other countries. Avoid intercultural problems by doing some research of the names you are thinking to use.

There are many web companies selling space and domains. The local companies will always sell the most international domains (.com, .org, .net, etc.) and the local domains (.de, .fr, .it, .cn, etc.). The international web companies would focus more in the most common international domains and their local ones (usually .co.uk and .us).

Once you have found the name, here you must have to do a bit more research. If the idea is to go international, you must go to every single patent and trademark office in every single country in order to check if that name is available (at least in the industrial category that you are planing to incursionate (food, clothes, service, etc.). It takes a lot of time to do the research, but it's worth it. If you plan to be a local company, it's enough if you check out the availability in your own country at the local patent and trademark office.

In this link you can find a list of the intellectual property offices around the globe by the World Intellectual Property Organization. http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp

Once you have done all the research and you are sure that the name is available everywhere, register the domain. If you plan to go international .com is a must, however, if you want to reach your customers in an international and local base, then it is advisable to register every local domain in every single country so you can reach every market with their local domain.

It's a lot of research and money, but there is no choice.

If you register your company first and then the domain, you are in danger of loosing it by someone who might register it before you do it. Usually every government, by the time of the registration of a company, publish a list of the new companies or their product and services. Easy target for domain hunters, either private people or companies.

I found a lot of information from web-hosting-top regarding about webhotells, servers, etc. Check it out, if you happens to find a better one, please share it with us.

http://www.web-hosting-top.com/

Remember to read all the “promotions” and special prices. Since many of them imply a 2 or 3 years contract. One of the web hosting companies I contacted told me that the price for 3,45 USD/month is on a 2 years contract and a single first payment. However, it is possible to cancel the hosting earlier, but the company will deduct 10 USD from the refund (82.8 USD – the amount of months you used the hosting – 10 USD) for the domain registration. Analyse what's best for you and what does it suit you company's needs.

If you are starting like me, I definitely advice to contract the cheapest webhotell company. Since the service is basically the same, independently where they are located. The goal is to own the domain that you will be using for your business.

Once the domain is registered, then it's time to register the company at the local authorities. Prices vary and every country has got their own rules and laws to follow. You don't really need a lawyer to do all this done, but you must read as much as possible of the procedure. Many countries have different bureaucracy, so be aware you might have to visit either 2 offices or 20 in search of all the permissions.

What kind of feelings do I have now after all this “basic” research? I put “officially” the first stone of my pyramid. What a feeling!


I feel happy, aggressive, optimistic, sceptic, great, ... I feel like sauna now!


Cheers :)