A domain name cannot be owned outright, just licensed for a period of time from a registrar. If the licence is not renewed, the domain name is then made publicly available again.
As such, domain names cannot be secured with Intellectual Property protection. You can register your brand as a trade mark, but unless you register all its domain name permutations, anyone else can go online, register them and run them as active websites. Remember, someone else registering a domain name based on your business name is entirely legal. What you have to do is assess the practical risk (or reality) of someone setting up a rival website under a similar name against the cost of the investment to your business of buying up a host of domain names you will possibly never use.
When it comes to the actual registration of a domain name with a registrar, you must make sure your business is listed as the registrant. If it is listed as your web developer, an employee or any other individual, the usage rights of that domain name will rest solely with them. This can then present obvious issues if your relationship with that individual deteriorates.
Whatever you do, make sure the registrant of your domain name is listed as the legal name of your business.
