Volume 1997    Issue 4

"1-800-rippoffs.com": Internet Domain Names Are the Telephone Numbers of Cyberspace

J. Theodore Smith^*

Since the Internet's inception, registration of domain names has been on a first-come, first-served basis. Because of first-come, first-served registration, many companies expanding onto the Internet discover that the most desirable domain names, for example, names utilizing the company's trademark, have been registered by unrelated third parties. These companies further discover that the trademark actions of infringement and dilution may not be viable in the Internet domain name context. It has become popular to assert that domain names incorporating trademarked words carry inherent trademark protection. This note analogizes domain names to mnemonic 800 telephone numbers. It argues that the trademark law established for mnemonic telephone numbers should be applied to domain names.

* Student Note