Legal Definitions - domain name

A domain name is the address that you type into your web browser to go to a website. It's like the street address of a house, but for websites. Every website has a unique domain name that helps people find it on the internet.

Domain names usually have three parts:

• The first part is "www", which stands for World Wide Web. This is called the third-level domain.
• The second part is the name of the organization or person who owns the website. This is called the second-level domain.
• The third part is the top-level domain, which tells you what kind of website it is. For example, ".com" is for commercial websites, ".gov" is for government websites, and ".edu" is for educational websites.

For example, the domain name "www.cornell.edu" belongs to Cornell University, which is an educational institution. The "www" part is the third-level domain, "cornell" is the second-level domain, and ".edu" is the top-level domain.

It's important to choose a good domain name for your website because it can affect how easy it is for people to find you on the internet. Some organizations might have multiple domain names that they use for different purposes, but they usually have one main domain name that they use for their website.

Trademark law can also affect domain names. If a name is trademarked, other people might not be allowed to use it for their domain name. This is to prevent confusion and protect the rights of the trademark owner.