Domain Name and Trade Mark Scams in China

For a few years, many brand owners have received emails from domain name registrars or IT consultant companies based in China claiming that someone is trying to register English domain names (usually .CN, .HK, .TW), Chinese domain names, Internet Keywords and/or Wireless Keywords that are identical or similar to the famous trade marks or domain names belonging to the brand owners, and urging the brand owners to immediately apply for registration to pre-empt the alleged bad faith applications. Usually, an urgent response within 2-3 days is required.

In most cases, the alleged applicant is a fictitious entity and the email is simply coaxed to solicit business. The email sender may or may not be a registrar accredited by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).