brand protection: definition

Brand protection is the work of keeping a brand from being misused in domain names. Almost any free name can be registered cheaply by whoever asks first, so brand owners combine several tools. It is a plan, not a single product.

What domain brand protection is

Most programs combine four activities: registering key names, including defensive registration A domain registered only to keep others from having it. Full definition of defensive registration; blocking names through registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition of registry services; monitoring new registrations Domains newly created in a period, also called adds or creates. Full definition of new registrations for names that resemble the mark; and enforcing, with a takedown request, the URS Uniform Rapid Suspension System A fast procedure that suspends clearly infringing domains, mainly in new gTLDs. Full definition of URS or the UDRP Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ICANN's out-of-court process for trademark disputes over domain names. Full definition of UDRP.

The WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization The United Nations agency whose center handles many domain name disputes. Full definition of WIPO handled over 6,200 domain name cases in 2025, its highest caseload on record (as of October 2026).

new gTLD A generic top-level domain added to the internet through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Full definition of new gTLD also have a built-in layer. The TMCH Trademark Clearinghouse A database of verified trademarks used for sunrise and claims in new gTLDs. Full definition of TMCH holds verified trademark data used for two services: sunrise An early phase when trademark owners can register matching names first. Full definition of sunrise, which gives trademark holders priority registration for at least 30 days (60 for an End-Date Sunrise), and trademark claims Warnings shown when someone registers a name matching a recorded trademark. Full definition of trademark claims, which warns applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant for at least the first 90 days of general registration (as of October 2026). A claims notice does not stop the registration: the applicant may go ahead, and the trademark holder is then told.

Defensive registrations: when they make sense

A defensive registration is an ordinary domain registration, renewed every year, kept so that nobody else can have it. The owner holds the name and can point it at the real website, but pays one renewal Paying to extend a domain registration for more time. Full definition of renewal fee per name per year, so the bill grows with every name added.

Brand owners commonly register their main name in the TLD top-level domain The last part of a domain name, after the final dot. Full definition of TLD their customers use, and the obvious typos of their mark. Typos matter in disputes: according to the WIPO Overview WIPO's guide to how panels usually decide common UDRP questions. Full definition of WIPO Overview, UDRP panel The one or three independent experts who decide a domain dispute. Full definition of panel treat a common or intentional misspelling of a mark as confusingly similar to it, and registering typo names of a well-known mark can by itself create a presumption of bad faith Intent to take unfair advantage of another's trademark through a domain name. Full definition of bad faith.

Blocking services across many TLDs

With a block, the registry withholds the label One dot-separated part of a domain name, up to 63 characters long. Full definition of label from registration: the name is not registered to anyone and cannot be activated in the DNS Domain Name System The internet's directory that links domain names to computer addresses. Full definition of DNS, so it does not resolve. The Registry Agreement The contract between ICANN and a gTLD registry operator. Full definition of Registry Agreement allows registries to reserve or block names, and the blocking service A registry service that stops a brand's name from being registered across many TLDs. Full definition of blocking service described here were approved by ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN through the RSEP Registry Services Evaluation Policy ICANN's process for approving new or changed services at a gTLD registry. Full definition of RSEP. As of October 2026, ICANN’s list shows 74 approved requests for a “Label Blocking Service” and 12 for DPML Domains Protected Marks List Identity Digital's service for blocking a trademark across its many TLDs. Full definition of DPML; one request can cover one TLD or dozens.

The programs the glossary names, as described in their ICANN filings (as of October 2026):

DPML (Domains Protected Marks List). Identity Digital A company, formerly Donuts, that runs many gTLDs and provides registry services. Full definition of Identity Digital’s service, run since 2013. One subscription blocks exact matches, names containing the match and, in some cases, misspellings across the TLDs on its back end, for 1 to 10 years.
AdultBlock A service that blocks a trademark in the four adult-themed TLDs. Full definition of AdultBlock. ICM Registry’s service for .xxx, .porn, .sex and .adult, for 1 to 10 years. The basic block covers exact matches; the Plus tier also covers confusingly similar variants.
GlobalBlock A multi-registry service that blocks a brand name across hundreds of domain endings. Full definition of GlobalBlock. A multi-registry service whose terms do not appear in ICANN’s registry service records.

Blocks have limits. They cover only the TLDs of the registries in the program. They do not take back names already registered. Another holder of the same trademark may be able to unblock a label and register it. A block that lapses frees the name. Some registries also accept an unregistered trademark, a company name or a celebrity name, after checking the right.

Monitoring for new lookalike domains

A monitoring service watches newly registered names for the mark, its typos, the mark plus a word, and look-alike characters used in homograph attack Using look-alike characters to make a fake domain look real. Full definition of homograph attack.

Much of this rests on public data. Under the Registry Agreement, any internet user can download a gTLD generic top-level domain A top-level domain not tied to a country, run under ICANN contracts. Full definition of gTLD zone file The set of all DNS records for a domain or TLD. Full definition of zone file at no cost, at most once every 24 hours, through ICANN’s CZDS Centralized Zone Data Service ICANN's portal for requesting access to gTLD zone files. Full definition of CZDS.

Timing matters. Panels do not expect owners to monitor everything permanently, but some delays in filing a UDRP complaint can make a case harder to win. WIPO reports that in 2025 some complainant The party that files a domain dispute, usually a trademark owner. Full definition of complainant used the UDRP to stop phishing Impersonating a trusted party to steal data, often with look-alike domains. Full definition of phishing campaigns. Monitoring only finds names; removing them is a separate step.

Building a brand protection plan

A common order of work is:

List the marks and the names that matter.
Secure the core names, for example with a registry lock A registry-level lock that strongly protects a domain against unauthorized changes. Full definition of registry lock (see the registry lock explainer).
Register defensively where the name has to work.
Block where a registry program covers many TLDs at once.
Record the mark in the TMCH, where relevant, to use sunrise and receive claims notices.
Monitor new registrations.
Decide in advance how to respond to a find: ignore, watch, request a takedown, or file a URS or UDRP complaint.

New TLDs keep arriving. As of October 2026, ICANN’s 2026 round has drawn 1,615 applications, 333 of them brand applications, and its objections period runs from 17 November 2026 to 16 March 2027.

An example: a company with the trademark EXAMPLE blocks the label “example” in the TLDs of a blocking program, where nobody can then register it. A monitoring alert reports examp1e-login.example; the company checks it for phishing and chooses between a takedown request and a dispute.

Costs and trade-offs

Registries sell blocking services to registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition of registrar at a wholesale rate, and each registrar sets its own retail price What a customer pays a registrar or reseller for a domain name. Full definition of retail price, so prices are not published in ICANN’s records.

The trade-offs:

Defensive registrations give a usable name, at one renewal per name every year.
Blocks cover many TLDs in one order, within the limits above.
Monitoring is needed whatever else is done.

No registration or block guarantees protection or the outcome of a dispute. Which mix suits a brand depends on its situation; check with a registrar, the registry or a lawyer.

brand protection