Malicious actors abuse the importance of domain names by registering ones that are identical or similar to existing trademarks, company names, or personal names, hoping to profit from the confusion
Domain names help us navigate the vastness of the world wide web and find the information and services we are looking for. However, malicious actors abuse the importance of domain names by registering ones that are identical or similar to existing trademarks, company names, or personal names, hoping to profit from the confusion. The practice of deliberately registering domain names in violation of trademark rights is called cybersquatting.
According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, cybersquatting cases reached record highs in 2022. In total, 5,616 cybersquatting disputes were filed to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) this year — nearly a 10% rise from 2021.
The cybersquatting numbers are based on the data provided by the WIPO. The data includes cases and domain names filed under Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) from 2000 to 2022. The UDRP, which WIPO proposed in 1999, has become an international standard for resolving domain name disputes.
After registering the look-alike domain names, cybersquatters may attempt to sell them to the trademarks they are copying or use similarities in domain names to attract traffic to their own website. Among the latter are those that use domains to lure victims into phishing attacks.
If we look at the historic numbers of cybersquatting complaints, they have been steadily growing over the past six years. Compared to 2000, cybersquatting disputes have risen by a whopping 202%.
In total, 61,284 cybersquatting complaints have been registered by WIPO from 2000 till now.