💡 However, many companies don’t fully integrate domain name management into their strategies, and by the time an attack happens, it’s already too late.
📌 A common, unfortunate scenario
One morning, you type your brand name into Google…
➡️ A merchant website with a name almost identical to yours appears on the first page.
➡️ It’s selling products similar to yours.
➡️ And it’s hosted abroad.
This is cybersquatting, and without a quick response, your traffic, credibility, and sometimes even your customer data are at risk.
⚖️ The most common types of infringement
- Typosquatting 🖋️: registering common misspellings (e.g., “microsfot.com”) to capture distracted visitors.
- Phishing & spear phishing 🎯: imitating your domain to target your employees or customers.
- Fake shops 🛒: using a variation of your brand to divert orders and payments.
🛠️ Legal tools at your disposal
Extrajudicial procedures:
- UDRP (WIPO) – applicable to generic domains (.com, .net, .org). Average timeframe: 2 months.
- Syreli (AFNIC) – for .fr domains, based on articles L.45-2 and L.45-6 of the French Postal and Electronic Communications Code. 100% online procedure.
- URS – rapid suspension for clear cases of cybersquatting.
Judicial actions:
- Identification of the registrant via a summary proceeding based on article L.34-1 CPCE.
- Trademark infringement action (art. L.713-2 CPI) if the trademark is registered.
- Unfair competition (art. 1240 C. civ.) if the trademark is not registered but is in use.
🔍 Proactive monitoring: the key to effective defense
- Real-time monitoring of creations in WHOIS and DNS databases.
- Proactively registering high-risk extensions (.shop, .store, .xyz, .top).
- Systematic documentation: timestamped screenshots, WHOIS extractions, technical logs.
💡 Reminder: Detecting a disputed domain before it goes live significantly reduces costs and delays.
🏰 Why the domain name should be at the heart of your IP strategy
Your brand is not limited to a sign or a logo.
It also lives in its digital identity.
Faced with the industrialization of infringements, defense is based on three pillars:
1️⃣ Fast identification
2️⃣ Quick action with the right legal levers
3️⃣ Anticipation through monitoring
💭 Which path is most effective against a cybersquatter?
- A UDRP procedure
- Or a trademark infringement lawsuit?
