Know your options if a party misuses protected property

A company's digital presence and capabilities have never been more important to its plan for success. Many businesses dedicate vast resources to things like websites, building a social media presence, reaching new clients and offering new digital or virtual resources.

The need to protect digital property has never been more important, either. This can include taking action against parties that violate intellectual property rights online.

For instance, a growing concern for companies in New Mexico and across the world is infringement on internet domains. 

Domain disputes often involve allegations of cybersquatting and trademark infringement. Cybersquatting involves parties that acquire a domain name in the hopes of selling it for a sizable profit. They typically have no plans to do anything with a domain besides resell it to an interested party.

Trademark infringement cases often arise when a party obtains a domain name with the goal of misleading visitors or profiting from another business' protected material.

For instance, recently Nike took legal action against a party that unlawfully used trademarked materials on 20 different domains, of which the company now has possession after it won its case.

It is likely that other disputes regarding domain names will arise, considering the fact that hundreds of new generic Top-Level Domains (or gTLDs) are now available. These gTLDs refer to the part of a web address that follows the last dot of the domain, like .com or .gov. Recently, many more were released, giving people access to hundreds of new addresses as well as increased infringing domain ownership opportunities. 

In this and similar situations, business owners can take legal action to enforce their ownership of protected material and stop other parties from using it or attempting to use it without permission. It can be a complicated process, especially when the infringing party is in another state or country, but pursuing a claim can be vital to preserving a company's interests and assets.

Any business owner with questions or concerns about protecting digital property can discuss legal remedies and options with an attorney.