At the beginning we spoke about the concept of using a domain name as a brand. How far you take this all depends on how seriously you are taking your business.

Even though you will own the registered domain, you don’t actually own the “name”. It is only when you trademark a name that you fully own it.

You can find out all about Australian trademarks here - http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au

You can register your own trademarks, do your own searches and find out how to get started.

They’ve also got a great kit that takes you through everything you need to know - http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/toolbox/index.shtml - normally $195 - now only $50 for a short while!

Everything here is for registering Australian trademarks. This won’t protect your brand in the international community, and as your domain is an international entity this could be especially important to you.

Consider how important it may be to register the domain and the trademark in Australia, but then later find out that a business with the same trademark in the US wants to stop your business expanding – or even operating!

If you find it all to daunting Shane, and want quality advice, the best thing would be to speak to an IP Trademark expert and attorney. This is especially the case for international trademarks.