What Is Cybersquatting?

"Cybersquatting" may sound like a strange eviction nightmare, but it is a commercial reality faced by entrepreneurs and corporations across the globe.

Cybersquatting refers to the practice of registering names, specifically those of well-known companies or brands, as domain names. The goal of cybersquatting is to secure a profit, by selling the registered domain names to the well-known companies or brands. Such conduct is considered in bad faith, as the responsible party intends benefiting from the goodwill established by the well-known company or brand.

Whilst some countries have legislation specifically addressing cybersquatting (e.g. the United States of America), other countries typically rely the World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPOs) anti-cybersquatting service through the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and based on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). In November 2020, this service had already registered 50,000