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Cybersquatting definition

What does Cybersquatting mean? Cybersquatting describes the bad-faith registration or use of a domain name that incorporates, or is confusingly similar to, another party’s trade mark, typically to sell the domain at a profit or to divert consumers by free‑riding on that reputation (including typosquatting). The term is not defined in statute. It is a descriptive label used across legal practice in England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland in trade mark infringement, passing off and domain name dispute contexts. In the UK, claims commonly arise under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and the tort of passing off, alongside complaints to the Nominet...

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Cybersquatting and domain name disputes: practical guidance on prevention, enforcement and resolution, including UDRP, URS, Nominet DRS, trade mark infringement and passing off

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Practice notes
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This Practice Note offers an introduction to Cybersquatting. It involves registering a domain name that incorporates another business’s trade mark with the purpose (or consequence) of taking unfair advantage of that mark. It also encompasses typosquatting, being the registration of a domain name featuring a misspelt version of another party’s trade mark. There are several avenues to pursue action against cybersquatters, including Nominet’s Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) and the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)...

What is cybersquatting?

Also referred to as domain name squatting, it is the bad-faith registration of a domain name that matches or is confusingly similar to a trade mark or name, with the intention of profiting from the goodwill attached to that mark or name. The practice exploits the trade marks of businesses, individuals, or other entities, aiming to secure commercial benefit for the ‘squatter’ and/or to interfere with legitimate activities...

Evolution and key characteristics of cybersquatting

The phenomenon took hold in the 1990s during the early phase of internet commercialisation, when trade marks lacked robust online protection, a gap that frequently gave rise to legal disputes...

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Ivett Paulovics
Ivett Paulovics

Lawyer in Italy (avvocato) and Hungary (ügyvéd) specialising in intellectual property, technology, international business law, and alternative dispute resolutionArbitrator in intellectual property and international business lawMediator of civil and commercial disputesDomain Name Panelist at Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre (Hong Kong), Canadian International Internet Dispute Resolution Centre (Canada), Czech Arbitration Court – Arbitration Center for Internet Disputes (Czech Republic), and FORUM (USA)External consultant and author of studies for the European Commission on technology and intellectual property law: Study on on intellectual property domain name information and alert system (geographical indications and domain names) 2023; Study on Domain Name System (DNS) abuse 2022; Study on evaluation of practices for combating speculative and abusive domain name registrations 2020Previously Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) Domain Dispute Case Manager at MFSD Srl Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution Center...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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