A

AEO (answer engine optimization)

• Definition: the practice of optimizing content for answer engines (voice assistants, ChatGPT, Perplexity) that return a direct response rather than a list of links.

AI citations

• Definition: mentions of a brand, site or content inside an answer generated by an AI engine (ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews). A new brand awareness KPI.

AI hallucination

• Definition: production of factually false information presented with confidence by a generative AI model.

AI overviews

• Definition: AI-generated summaries shown at the top of Google’s results that blend several sources into a direct answer.

Anchor text

• Definition: clickable text of a hyperlink. Describes the destination page and influences SEO.

Automation of IP management

• Definition: Using digital tools (often software) to reduce manual tasks (renewal reminders, automated monitoring, etc.) and increase efficiency in managing Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

B

Backlink

• Definition: hyperlink from an external site pointing to yours. A major SEO and authority pillar.

Brand impersonation

• Definition: fraudulent use of a legitimate brand’s identity (fake sites, fake social accounts, fake apps, deepfakes).

C

Cancellation for non-use

• Definition: sanction that strips an owner of trademark rights, usually after five years without genuine use.

Canonical tag

• Definition: HTML tag that designates the reference version of a page when several URLs display similar content, to avoid duplicate content issues.

Classes of Nice

• Definition: An international classification (administered by WIPO) dividing products and services into 45 classes (e.g., Class 9 for software). Used when filing a trademark to define the scope of goods/services covered.

Combosquatting

• Definition: cybersquatting variant combining a brand with an extra word (brand-support.com, brand-deals.com).

Copyright

• Definition: automatic protection of original works (text, music, software, photo) upon creation, without filing.

Core web vitals

• Definition: Google signals that measure the page user experience: LCP (speed), INP (responsiveness), CLS (visual stability).

Counterfeiting

• Definition: Illicit use or imitation of a trademark, patent, or any other IP right, causing harm to the legitimate holder.

Crawl budget

• Definition: the number of pages a search engine is willing to crawl on a site over a given period. A critical topic for large sites.

Cybersecurity

• Definition: All technical and legal means to protect data and IT systems from cyberattacks, including safeguarding official websites and domain names.

Cybersquatting

• Definition: Abusive registration of a domain name that reproduces or closely imitates an existing trademark or trade name, with the intent to profit (resale, traffic diversion) or cause harm.

D

Design (industrial design)

• Definition: title protecting the appearance of a product (lines, shapes, colours, texture). Distinct from a patent (technical function).

DMCA notice

• Definition: US 1998 law organising the notice-and-takedown procedure for copyrighted content.

DNS (Domain Name System)

• Definition: The system that links a domain name (e.g., ipzen.com) to its corresponding IP address. Crucial for a website’s availability and reliability.

Domain authority

• Definition: score from 0 to 100 estimating a site’s ability to rank in Google (DA, DR, Authority Score).

Domain name

• Definition: A unique address leading to a website (e.g., ipzen.com). Must be registered and renewed to maintain exclusivity and avoid cybersquatting.

Domain name management

• Definition: Registering, renewing, transferring, and monitoring domain names to keep them under the exclusive control of the business and protect its online identity.

Domain transfer

• Definition: change of registrar for a domain name, without modifying the owner.

E

EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness)

• Definition: Google’s quality framework that evaluates experience, expertise, authority and trust. Very important for SEO and GEO.

Entity SEO

• Definition: optimization of content around entities (brands, people, places) rather than isolated keywords.

EUIPO

• Definition: European Union Intellectual Property Office, based in Alicante. Registers EU trademarks and Community designs.

F

Featured snippet

• Definition: answer box (also called position zero) shown at the top of Google’s results that directly answers a question.

G

Generative AI

• Definition: AI category able to produce original content: text, image, code, audio, video (ChatGPT, Midjourney).

GEO (generative engine optimization)

• Definition: optimization of content to be cited by generative engines built on LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI overviews).

Gray market

• Definition: sale of genuine products outside official distribution channels. Different from counterfeiting.

H

Hreflang

• Definition: HTML attribute that signals the language and target region of a page. Essential for international SEO.

I

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)

• Definition: The international organization responsible for coordinating global domain name management (TLDs) and IP address allocation.

Indexing

• Definition: the process by which a search engine adds a page to its index. A page that is not indexed never appears in results.

Infringement action

• Definition: legal proceeding brought by an IP rights holder against the unauthorised use of their title.

INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle)

• Definition: The French office for filing and protecting trademarks, patents, and industrial designs. Maintains official IP registries in France.

Intellectual property management

• Synonyms/Variants: IP Management, IP Portfolio Management, Management of IP Rights
• Definition: A set of practices aimed at protecting, enhancing, and monitoring IP rights (trademarks, patents, designs, etc.). Involves tracking deadlines, renewals, changes, and detecting potential infringements.

Intellectual property management tool

• Synonyms/Variants: IP Management Tool, IP Portfolio Management Tool, IP Asset Management Tool
• Definition: A software solution (cloud-based or on-premises) used to track and manage all IP titles (trademarks, patents, designs), with automated alerts, reporting features, and real-time updates.

Intellectual property software

• Synonyms/Variants: IP Software, IP Management Software, Trademark Management Software, IP Portfolio Software
• Definition: An application (SaaS or on-premises) that centralizes IP data, sends renewal alerts, monitors opposition proceedings, conducts competitive watch, etc.

Intellectual property software protection

• Definition: Legal and technical measures to safeguard software (copyright, software patents where applicable, code encryption, licensing, or deposits with a trusted authority).

Intellectual property solutions

• Synonyms/Variants: Cloud Solution for IP, Trademark Management Solution, IP Solutions, IP Portfolio Tracking
• Definition: Services or tools (often SaaS-based) facilitating IP management from filing through monitoring. Enables online collaboration with various stakeholders (lawyers, specialized firms, etc.).

Internal linking

• Definition: the set of links connecting a site’s pages, which transfer authority and help engines understand the site’s thematic structure.

IP docketing

• Definition: practice of tracking every deadline and action tied to intellectual property titles.

K

Knowledge graph

• Definition: database organising information into entities and relationships. Powers Google knowledge panels and LLMs.

L

LLM (large language model)

• Definition: AI model trained on huge text corpora (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama), powering generative engines and AI overviews.

Local SEO

• Definition: techniques to rank a site on geographically targeted searches (Google Business Profile, local pack).

Long-tail keyword

• Definition: 3+ word specific query with low individual volume but collectively a majority of search traffic.

M

Madrid system

• Definition: international trademark registration mechanism administered by WIPO, covering 130+ countries in one procedure.

Meta description

• Definition: HTML tag that summarises a page, shown under the title in the SERP. Not a direct ranking factor but influences CTR.

O

Opposition

• Definition: administrative procedure to challenge the registration of a recently published trademark, before any court action.

P

Patent

• Definition: industrial property title granting a 20-year monopoly on a technical invention in exchange for public disclosure.

Phishing

• Definition: fraud technique that impersonates a trusted organisation to steal sensitive information.

Prompt engineering

• Definition: art of writing effective instructions for generative AI models (context, role, task, format, controls).

R

Registrar

• Definition: ICANN-accredited company selling, managing and renewing domain names (OVH, GoDaddy, Gandi, etc.).

Registration

• Definition: The official validation of a trademark by the relevant office after examination, provided there has been no successful opposition from a third party.

Registry

• Definition: technical operator of a domain extension (Verisign for .com, Afnic for .fr). Distinct from a registrar.

Renewal

• Definition: Extending the validity of an IP right (often 10 years for a trademark). Necessary to maintain continuous protection.

Robots.txt

• Definition: file placed at the root of a site that tells crawlers which parts of the site they may or may not browse.

S

Schema.org markup

• Definition: structured data vocabulary (often JSON-LD) that describes content for search engines and AI, enabling rich snippets.

Search intent

• Definition: the real need behind a user’s query (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional).

SSL / HTTPS

• Definition: encryption protocol securing web exchanges. A Google ranking factor since 2014, now mandatory.

Sunrise period

• Definition: priority opening phase of a new TLD reserved for trademark holders registered in the TMCH.

XML sitemap

• Definition: file that lists the important URLs of a site with metadata, to support discovery and indexing by search engines.

T

Takedown notice

• Definition: formal request to remove unlawful content (counterfeiting, phishing, impersonation) sent to a host or platform.

Territorial scope

• Definition: The geographic range in which a trademark is protected (national, European, international), often decided at the time of filing or via treaties (e.g., WIPO).

Title tag

• Definition: HTML element that defines a page’s title, displayed in the browser tab and the SERP. A major on-page signal.

TMCH (trademark clearinghouse)

• Definition: centralised trademark database set up by ICANN to protect rights holders during new gTLD launches.

Trademark

• Definition: A distinctive sign (name, logo, slogan, etc.) that differentiates a company’s goods or services from competitors. Protected by filing with an office such as INPI or EUIPO.

Trademark availability search

• Definition: Research into national and international databases to ensure a trademark is available, avoiding conflicts with existing rights.

Trademark filing

• Definition: The process of registering a trademark with a competent office (e.g., USPTO, INPI, EUIPO). Grants exclusive usage rights for the selected classes in a given territory.

Trademark monitoring

• Synonyms/Variants: Trademark Watch, Online Brand Monitoring
• Definition: Active vigilance to detect any infringement (similar filings, counterfeiting, unauthorized use). May include specialized online monitoring of e-commerce platforms or social networks.

Trademark portfolio

• Definition: The full set of trademarks owned by an individual or entity, typically managed strategically (territorial extensions, coverage in multiple classes, etc.).

Trademark prior rights search

• Definition: A preliminary clearance search to determine whether trademarks or domain names are already protected, reducing the risk of filing refusals and potential conflicts.

Typosquatting

• Definition: cybersquatting variant exploiting common typos on well-known brands (goggle.com, amzon.com).

U

UDRP

• Definition: ICANN procedure for quick resolution of cybersquatting disputes without court action.

W

WHOIS

• Definition: public protocol and database providing registration information for a domain name.

WIPO

• Definition: World Intellectual Property Organization, UN agency based in Geneva (193 member states).

Z

Zero-click search

• Definition: a query that gives the user an answer directly inside the SERP, with no click to an external site (featured snippets, AI overviews, voice).