# What is Cybersquatting?

> Cybersquatting is the bad-faith registration or use of a domain name that targets another party’s trademark or service mark, commonly to profit from confusion, divert users, demand payment, or support impersonation.

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## Content

The label is not established merely because a domain resembles a name or was registered first; trademark rights, legitimate interests, bad faith, applicable policy, and jurisdiction all matter.

For many generic top-level domains, the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) provides an administrative process for alleged abusive registration. Its elements include confusing similarity to a mark in which the complainant has rights, lack of the registrant’s rights or legitimate interests, and bad-faith registration and use. Other policies, national laws, courts, or contractual processes may apply elsewhere.

### Key points

- **Abuse patterns:** A disputed domain may be offered for sale, divert visitors, imitate a service, support phishing, host advertising, remain inactive, or use a misspelling, but context is needed to assess bad faith.
- **Evidence:** Preserve registration and Domain Name System records, certificate history, communications, trademark timelines, redirects, and misuse before content or ownership changes.
- **Response options:** Coordinate security, brand, registrar, and qualified legal teams; address active phishing or malware promptly while evaluating applicable dispute, suspension, transfer, or court processes.
- **Important limitation:** Similarity alone does not prove cybersquatting. Dictionary terms, prior rights, commonly known names, bona fide offerings, criticism, and legitimate noncommercial or fair use can affect an assessment, which this glossary cannot make.

### Related terms

[Domain Name System (DNS)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/domain-name-system/>) · [Domain Name System (DNS) hijacking](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/domain-name-system-hijacking/>) · [Phishing](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/phishing/>) · [Internet fraud](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/internet-fraud/>) · [Domain Name System (DNS) security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/domain-name-system-security/>) · [Typosquatting](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/typosquatting/>)

### Sources

[WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions, Version 3.1](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/overview/index) · [ICANN: Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/udrp-2012-02-25-en)

## Attribution and scope

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