Domain yes,
Company No.
Domain yes,
Company No.
from
The BGH clarifies: The mere combination with a top-level domain is not sufficient for generic terms to create a legally registrable company. This lacks distinctive character.
Point de does not create a company
In its decision of 11.03.2025 – II ZB 9/24, the BGH clarified the question of whether the addition of a top-level domain is sufficient to create distinctiveness. A top-level domain is the part of the internet address that is located to the far right after the last dot. Examples of this are the well-known endings “.de”, “.com”, “.net” or “.org”. The BGH’s view is clear: this is not enough.
As a rule, the general business public does not perceive the top-level domain as being formative, but rather only as an indication of the company’s Internet presence.
The dispute was preceded by an amendment to the articles of association of a public limited company with which it intended to change its company name. In future, the company name was to consist of a generic term and the top-level domain .de. A generic term is a general term for a whole type or group of things. Examples of this are “car” or “airplane”. The competent registry court refused to register this company in the commercial register, citing the company’s lack of distinctiveness. After unsuccessful lower courts, the case finally reached the BGH.
One-time award option not sufficient
The BGH confirmed the decisions made. A company name only has distinctive character if it can distinguish the company from other companies by its nature and thus individualize it. The company must be capable of arousing an association with a very specific company among many others in readers and listeners. Such an association is lacking in the case of purely generic terms, in particular in the case of purely descriptive information that indicates the type and object of the company but does not identify a specific company.
A non-distinctive company does not acquire the necessary distinctiveness because the same domain name may not be assigned again.
Die Entscheidung führte aus, dass allein durch die Top-Level-Domain keine ausreichende Unterscheidungskraft geschaffen wird. Dies gilt auch nicht vor dem Hintergrund der einmaligen Vergabe der Domain-Adresse. Hierzu stellte der BGH anschaulich darauf ab, dass für den Fall, dass weitere Unternehmen unter dem selben Gattungsbegriff mit einer anderen Top-Level-Domain, etwa “.com” oder “.net”, registriert werden, eine Verwechslungsgefahr im Geschäftsverkehr besteht.
Conclusion
Eine griffige Domain mag im Marketing überzeugen, ersetzt aber nicht die rechtlich gebotene Unterscheidungskraft.
Wer auf digitale Schlagkraft im Firmennamen setzt, muss dennoch handelsrechtlich sauber trennen – zwischen Sichtbarkeit im Netz und Kennzeichnungsfähigkeit im Register.
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