DOMAIN NAME

A combination of letters and numbers and dashes which identify a specific IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is a computer or serious of computers that are connected to the Internet, such as the web server that displays a website. A domain name consists of several parts (a) the top-level domain or TLD such as .com or .gov which identifies the type of business such as governmental agency, educational institution or commerce site, (b) a second level domain that identifies the site with a person or entity, such as Google.com, and (c) a country code which may be added in most cases, such as .uk for the United Kingdom such as thelaw.co.uk, and (d) a third level domain such as www which may be used to identify a host server, such as on the worldwide web or a subdomain of the domain such as forums.thelaw.com. Domain names can serve as mere addresses, trademarks and even expressions of protected free speech.