In February 2008, MarkMonitor, Inc released its latest
Brandjacking Index. The Index summarises data collected by the
US company on how popular brands are abused online.
Significantly for trade mark and brand owners, the Index
indicates that cybersquatting increased by 33% over 2007.
Studies into the practice have found that cybersquatters are
now targeting more popular consumer brands over a wider range
of industries. Trade mark owners and brand name users must
remain vigilant in monitoring use of their brands online to
ensure that their interests are not diluted by unauthorised
use.
A cybersquatter is an individual or company that in bad
faith registers a domain name identical with or similar to a
well-known trade mark, brand or other name. Usually,
cybersquatters register a domain name with the intention of
transferring the domain name at an inflated price to the
legitimate owner of the name.
