Protect your brand with a .al domain

Why online brand protection matters

Customers look you up by name. If someone else registers the domain that matches your brand, they can use it to divert visitors, sell similar products or simply offer it back to you later at a much higher price. Even without bad intent, a similar domain in other hands confuses your customers.

Registering the domain before someone else does is the cheapest protection there is. A name that is free today comes with no guarantee that it will still be free tomorrow.

Register .al and the main extensions

Register .al as your main domain. If the brand has commercial value, add .com.al as protection. For NGOs, .org.al communicates the mission more clearly. Many companies register several extensions and redirect them all to the main website.

Prices exclude VAT and renewal is charged at the same rate. For the full comparison see .al vs .com.al.

Check the trademark register before registering

Before searching for and registering a .al domain, check the website of the General Directorate of Industrial Property (GDIP, known in Albanian as DPPI) to make sure the name is not a registered trademark or patent. Approved trademark and patent names that exactly match a domain name under .al are reserved for their holders and cannot be registered by anyone else.

This works in two directions:

• If you own a registered trademark, the name that exactly matches it is reserved for you. That is a strong reason to register your brand with the GDIP as well.
• If you are choosing a new name, the GDIP check keeps you from registering a name that belongs to someone else.

More in the AKEP rules and in reserved and prohibited names.

Variants and typos

Think like your customers when they type your name in a hurry on their phone:

• The letters ë and ç. They cause ambiguity when the name is spoken aloud. If your brand contains them, consider registering both variants, for example with e and with ë, and redirecting one to the other.
• Common typos. A doubled or missing letter can send a customer to someone else's website.
• With and without a hyphen. If the name is two words, the hyphenated variant may be worth having.
• Key product names. Not only the company name, but also the name of your best-known product.

You do not need every combination. Pick the ones customers are most likely to type. More ideas in how to choose a domain name.

Keep your domains active and renewed

Protection lasts only as long as the domain is yours. Two rules matter:

1. Renewal. An unrenewed domain can be registered by someone else. A multi-year renewal, up to 10 years at once, closes that risk. See .al domain expiry.
2. Use. Under the AKEP regulation, if a domain is not put into use within one year from registration or renewal, it may be released. A practical approach is to redirect your protective domains to the main website. If you have questions about how the rule applies to your case, contact support.

Frequently asked questions