February 20, 2006 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – With the number of cybersquatting cases and domain name and trademark disputes increasing, London-based NetNames (www.netnames.co.uk), an ICANN accredited domain name registrar, has introduced a new service that will enable users to check whether a domain name infringes existing trademarks before purchasing it.
The company’s new Trademark Search Service enables users to simultaneously search for available domain names and run a trademark check without additional cost. The service checks domain name searches against pending and registered trademarks from the US federal trademark database (USPTO) and the European Community Trademark (CTM) database and highlights possible infringements. In cases of potential conflict the system offers trademark holder details for a set fee.
"Cybersquatting continues to be a problem for British businesses and this has been amplified across the continent with the arrival of the new .eu domain," said Jonathan Robinson, Chief Operating Officer, NetNames. "NetNames is taking an industry leading, responsible position by allowing prospective registrants to make sure they are not inadvertently infringing on someone else's intellectual property." He added, "One of the most important yet difficult aspects of establishing a new brand is selecting the right name. There has been a growing demand in the market for greater visibility of potential trademark infringements and our Trademark Search Service will for the first time enable companies to simultaneously check that their desired brand and product names are both available as domain names and do not infringe on existing European Union and United States trademarks before investing in registering the name and commencing marketing of their new web sites."
