Also called online brand protection
Brand protection, explained
Large brands, and the firms that manage their domain portfolios, register their marks and common typos in key extensions, record marks in the Trademark Clearinghouse to get sunrise priority and claims notices when new gTLDs launch, subscribe to watch services and registry blocking products, and send cease-and-desist letters or file complaints when a name targets a mark.
For an investor, assume any name containing a trademark will be noticed. Brand owners are not a market for such names: registering a name primarily to sell it to the trademark owner for more than your out-of-pocket costs is one of the UDRP's listed examples of bad faith. Generic words are different, and overreaching complaints against them can end in a finding of reverse domain name hijacking. Search trademark databases before you buy, and if a letter arrives, check the facts and consult a qualified attorney rather than replying with a price.
Example. A footwear company's brand protection team spots a new registration combining its mark with the word outlet and files a UDRP complaint within weeks.
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- ICANN — Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, paragraphs 4(b) and 4(k)
- ICANN — Trademark Clearinghouse: sunrise and trademark claims services
- Identity Digital — Sunrise and DPML Dispute Resolution Policy (Domains Protected Marks List)
- WIPO — Overview 3.1 of WIPO panel views on selected UDRP questions
Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.