Whats a Domain Name What is a Domain Name?
by Charles Runyan, Ph.D., J.D. Domain Name Law Attorney A domain name is known technically as a “uniform resource locator” or “URL.” The domain name actually consists of a series of numbers that are used to identify a specific computer connected to the internet. A domain name is an internet protocol address (“IP address”) made of a string of four sets of numbers separated by periods such as “206.110.241.01.” The IP address is similar to a telephone number in that it can be used to send and receive electronic communications to and from the IP address. Because it can be difficult for most people to remember a long string of numbers, Dr. Jon Postel of the University of California helped to create what is now known as the Domain Name System (DNS), which is a system by which computers translate a unique set of numbers, letters and characters into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.keytlaw.com equates to the IP address 216.205.148.162. To determine the IP address
