We've heard of "eminent domain", but I'm considering a pun on "imminent domain", as in "imminent domain name expiration".
According to a Walker Morris LLP legal blog entitled "Jeb Bush, Donald Trump and a domain name" (which you can read by clicking here.... the eminent domain enthusiast (Mr. Trump) had keen-eyed staff looking out for the status of his GOP Presidential candidate rivals' domain names.
Apparently, Jeb Bush's campaign team lacked the enthusiasm to keep on top of the domain name "jebbush.com" or perhaps they lacked the imagination to consider what could conceivably happen to "jebbush.com" if they did not renew it. The Trump campaign paid for it, and now, Walker Morris LLP tells us, "jebbush.com" folds into "donaldtrump.com" and anyone wanting news about Jeb Bush finds themselves reading about Donald Trump's latest and greatest exploits.
For alien romance writers (science- or any other genre of fiction writers), it is important to register your own author name --or names-- before a would-be cyber-squatter gets them. If you invent a niche genre, you might want to buy the domain name for that. If you have the foresight and a career arc in mind, you might want to buy the domain names for your future book titles. You cannot copyright a title, and nor can the person who thought of a killer title that you hope to use one day, but if you own, for instance "Knight'sFork.com" at least no one else can own that domain name.
Just for the fun of it, I typed President Obama's "dreamsfrommyfather.com" into a search bar. It folds into PenguinRandomHouse, so don't bother.Hillary Clinton's "HardChoices.com" on the other hand seems to be redirected to a site advising elderly people on end-of-life decision-making. "TheArtOfTheDeal.com" gave me a service 503 message. "ArtOfTheDeal.com" took me to a static page. "ATimeForTruth.com" ....is for sale.
Ted Cruz is exposed. What an opportunity... But, I've looked at 2 authors from each side, so I think I've been fair and even-handed.
It's also smart to occupy your own authorname on any social network. You may never actually use that network, but in theory it prevents the site from setting up a robo page about you, that is not run by you.
Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry
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Good tips! I bought the .net versions of my name and my husband's as well as the .com, even though we don't plan to use the .net.
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