Definition

Cybersquatting is the abusive registration of a domain name that reproduces or closely imitates a trademark, trade name or personal name, with intent to profit (resale, traffic diversion, phishing) or harm the legitimate owner. The practice is sanctioned by national laws and by alternative dispute resolution procedures such as the ICANN‘s UDRP.

Why it is a major risk

• Damage to brand image and customer trust
• Traffic hijacked toward competitors or fraudulent sites
• Risk of phishing and digital identity theft
• High cost of recovering the squatted name

How to protect your brand

The best defence is preventive:

• File the trademark before securing the domain name
• Register strategic TLDs and typographic variants
• Implement trademark monitoring and domain name watch
• Activate registrar lock to prevent unauthorised transfers
• If squatting is confirmed, file a UDRP or local action to recover the domain