Domain Monitoring

Your questions, our answers.

• What is cybersquatting?

  Cybersquatting (or domain squatting) is an illegal activity that consists in registering domain name attributable to well-known trademarks covered by copyright, in extensions not yet registered by the legitimate owner, in order to obtain an economic return and causing enormous reputational damage.

• What is the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH)?

  The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) is the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) authorized database that contains worldwide registered trademarks. Created for new domains marketing it is the most important brand protection service for extensions released on the market.
  By registering your trademark within the Trademark Clearinghouse you will be able to register the domain names corresponding to your trademark during the pre-launch phase of the new extensions, in advance of anyone else, to prevent cybersquatting.
  Furthermore, by joining TMCH, you will be notified if someone makes a registration of a domain containing your trademark by the launch of new extensions.

• How does the Domains Protected Marks List (DPML) service work?

  You can access Domains Protected Marks List (DPML) service only if you have registered your trademark in TMCH database. This service allows you to block the registration of the domain names corresponding to your brand in the new extensions that are periodically released on the market.

• Who is the Adultblock service for?

  The AdultBlock service is aimed at registered trademarks, unregistered trademarks, registered companies and famous people and provides the possibility to block the registration of domain names corresponding to their name in the extensions .adult, .porn, .sex and .xxx.
  
  AdultBlock is also for companies that participated at the Sunrise B program of dotXXX Registry in 2011 to block the registration of some .xxx domain names. With AdultBlock these companies will be able block the registrations of the same domain names also in .adult, .porn and .sex extensions.

• How does the AdultBlock service work?

  The AdultBlock service is available for registered trademarks, unregistered trademarks, registered companies, famous people and companies that have participated in the Sunrise B program of dotXXX Registry domain.
  
  The service provides the possibility to block the registration of domain names corresponding to their name in the extensions .adult, .porn, .sex and .xxx, preventing anyone from associating the name of that brand with activities related to adult entertainment.
  
  The activation of the AdultBlock service requires a validation process in which registered trademarks, unregistered trademarks, companies and famous people must provide proof of registration rights on the domain name intended to protect.
  
  The proof of use to be provided is diversified according to the type of applicant. For example, registered trademarks will have to provide a copy of the trademark registration document while for unregistered trademarks it will be sufficient to provide any document bearing the name of the trademark (an invoice, a receipt, etc.), or an advertising brochure or a screenshot of a website with the same domain name already registered by the applicant.
  
  The Online Brand Protection staff will guide the customer by illustrating all the types of tests accepted for each category.
  
  Companies that have registered their trademark in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) and brands that have participated in the Sunrise B program of dotXXX Registry domain will be able to request AdultBlock without providing further evidence.

• I have a domain with a generic or geographical extension, can I use TMCH, DPML or AdultBlock services?

  For TMCH and DPML services you cannot. These services are dedicated only to domains registered in the new extensions (new gTLDs).
  
  The AdultBlock service, on the other hand, is also aimed at unregistered brands, companies and famous people. For these categories, having registered a website with the same domain name that you intend to protect represents sufficient proof to demonstrate a registration ad protection rights.

• In addition to blocking the registration of domains containing my brand name, can I also extend protection to other domain names?

  Domains Protected Marks List (DPML) and AdultBlock service are also available in the "Plus" version (DPML+ e AdultBloc+) which, in addition to blocking the domains exactly corresponding to the trademark (eg Swizzonic) or to the requested name on which you have proven registration rights, they also allow you to block many other "text strings" containing this name, or various misspelled (eg Swissonic or Swizonic).