What Is a Trademark Claims Notice?
Registering a domain triggered a warning about a matching trademark. Here's what a Trademark Claims Notice means, and what Acknowledge & Register vs. Cancel Registration actually do.
If a domain name you tried to register matches a mark recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse, you'll be shown a Trademark Claims Notice before the registration completes. This mostly comes up during sunrise and claims periods for newer top-level domains, but it can happen any time a match exists.
What it means
The Trademark Clearinghouse is a database of registered trademarks that new top-level domains are required to check new registrations against. A notice doesn't mean you've done anything wrong — it means the name you picked happens to match something in that database, and ICANN requires you to be told before you proceed.
Your two options
- Acknowledge & Register — you've read the notice and want to register the name anyway. The registration continues, and the trademark holder is notified that the match was registered.
- Cancel Registration — you'd rather not proceed. The registration is dropped and you can choose a different name.
Acknowledging the notice is not a legal determination that you're allowed to use the name. It only lets registration continue. If you're not confident you have the right to use a name that matches someone else's trademark, the safer move is usually to cancel and pick something else — or check with a lawyer first if it matters to you.
Why we can't tell you more about the specific mark
The notice you received names the trademark that matched. Beyond that, we don't have — and can't add — details about the mark owner's rights, jurisdiction, or intentions. If you need to understand whether your planned use would actually conflict with that trademark, that's a question for an attorney, not something a registrar can answer for you.
Related
- Domain Registration Agreement — see "Trademark Clearinghouse & Claims Notices."
- Domain email verification — a different ICANN-mandated email, sent after registration completes rather than before.