1. Infringement and Trademark Rights
Always check the eligibility of the name you want to register. Registering a trademarked brand whether in Kenya or any other country is the beginning of long trips to the corridors of power fighting battles that will end up consuming your time and resources. Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if you’ve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.
You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.
Get some time and read about Trademarks, Treaties and processes to follow if you want to also trademark your name. Find time and visit KIPI offices along Kabarsiran Avenue, Off Waiyaki Way, Nairobi or by visiting their website https://www.kipi.go.ke/ to get more information.
2. The Registry info
Know how the Registry in your country operates. A registry is the entity that is charged to manage and administer a Country’s ccTLD. There are 2 operational models that Registries use. The 2-R model and the 3-R Model. The 3Rs stand for Registry, Registrar and Registrant.
A Registrar is contracted by the Registry to sell domains to the public while a Registrant is the end user. So always know where you are getting the domain from. For instance, you can visit KeNIC to understand more how the Registry works and also https://kenic.or.ke/registrars/ to see a list of KeNIC Accredited Registrars.
3. Additional Costs
Domain only is not functional without supporting features such as hosting and a Website. Domain charges are different from hosting, Website creation, maintenance etc. When purchasing a domain from a Registrar, make sure they give you a breakdown of any additional they have included up and above the domain price.
4. Terms of service / Rules and Regulations
Read terms of service before completing the process. This will help you understand what you are getting in terms of support, transfer of domains, disputes etc.
You can buy the KeNIC premium SLD domains here