So, you’ve started your business and found the perfect domain name for its website- Congratulations! Your website now serves as your brand’s image and internet address for consumers, clients, and anyone interested in your business. The next logical step is to keep your website safe.
While it is critical to have a strong brand website, failing to secure it may reduce its value and credibility. Most businesses have an online presence, and a tarnished online reputation can substantially impact a company’s value.
As a result, domain blocking is critical in safeguarding your trademark name, as well as your business’ reputation.
What Is Website Security?
Web security is the process of securing a website against phishing, cybercrimes, or cyber-attacks to prevent the loss of sensitive company or customer data. To fight against theft or losses caused by digital hackers, scanning a website for vulnerabilities or testing security is always necessary.
Having an SSL certificate, safeguarding your website using HTTPS, and using a CMS system is essential for keeping your website safe. However, to help secure your online identity and brand reputation, you should also block your domain name.
To grasp the concept of DNS abuse, consider the following example; if you register the domain www.financemaster.bond, there’s a potential that bad actors will use it for their own gain by registering a similar name using homoglyphs such as using an “s” in the
end (www.financemasters.bond) or using a lowercase “l” in place of “i” (www.flnancemaster.bond). These bad actors impersonate brands every day and take advantage of unsuspecting visitors. Using a domain blocking service helps by preventing these confusingly similar domains from being registered and used against your brand.
What Is Domain Blocking?
Domain blocking is a service that companies use to safeguard their trademarked names against cybercriminals who might try to register domains in bad faith. Domain blocking is a straightforward notion that prevents others from registering a similar domain name to a trademarked name, preventing illegal use.
How Does Domain Blocking Work?
A web page’s principal name tag is its IP address on the home server, essentially a multidigit identifying code. However, IP addresses are inconvenient for users to type whenever they want to access your website. For example, while searching for Microsoft, typing its IP address—199.69.134.190—every time you tried to get to its home page would be inconvenient. The domain name system (DNS) is a method of naming websites in human language rather than their numerical IP addresses.
You must trademark your domain name to protect it. By trademarking a domain name, a business lets the world know that they own their mark and are willing to defend it against bad actors.
Benefits of Blocking a Trademark Domain Name
Blocking a domain name protects you from phishing and other forms of cybercrime. However, there are also other reasons to block your domain name.
1. It Raises The Value Of Your Name
Blocking your trademark’s domain name operates as a medium for increasing the value of your business as it expands. As a result, if you want to improve brand recognition and attract more customers, you should block your trademark domain name.
2. Gives A Sense Of Autonomy
Once you establish your business website, you would want it to be distinctive and protected. Blocking your domain name can give your website that protected cushion.
3. You Can Prevent Legal Disputes
You can prohibit any homoglyph of your domain name from being registered by blocking it. As a result, no one can abuse it, and you can avoid a legal dispute entirely.
What Is The Best Way To Block Trademarked Domain Names?
ShortBlock is a domain blocking service that makes trademark protection simpler. Trademark holders can use ShortBlock to prohibit trademarks and variants of trademarks across all of ShortDot’s domain extensions.
With a single contact, registrars and their clients may protect trademarks from having confusingly similar domains registered reducing the chance of financial and reputational harm caused by criminals misusing brand names.
ShortBlock was created to make it easier for registrars and registrants to manage a portfolio of trademark blocks across all of ShortDot’s domain extensions and prevent anyone from exploiting the registration of a domain with an existing block.
How Does ShortBlock Work?
After creating an account with ShortBlock, registrars can start submitting blocks for their clients. Depending on how many versions a registrant wishes to block, each block can have its own category, and each block can be active for up to 10 years.
When a registrar wants to submit a new block, they simply go to the ‘Blocks’ page, enter the term they wish to block, double-check the spelling, then submit the SMD file from the Trademark Clearing House, select which block service they want to use for that specific block term, and choose the number of years they want the block to be active, and voila! Once verified, your block will be activated.
What Services Can You Expect From ShortBlock?
ShortBlock Provides three domain blocking options:
1. Basic Block
The Basic Block Service assures that the client’s mark will be blocked across all of ShortDot’s existing and future extensions as long as the block is active when new extensions are introduced.
The basic block will block the mark without any character alterations or additional words added to the domain.
2. Homoglyph Block
The Homoglyph Block adds an extra layer of protection by forbidding names that are confusingly similar to the submitted mark and using letters and numerals similar to those in the mark. ShortDot built a proprietary homoglyph generator to help identify the highest risk homoglyph varients.
For example, the letters i,o, and L in the trademark ‘Microsoft’ could be misread as 1, l, or 0. The homoglyph engine will examine your submitted mark, and any mark variants will be added to the block list.
3. WildCard Block
One of the most comprehensive and well-rounded domain blocking mechanisms accessible is the WildCard block. When a block is submitted, it is examined for homoglyphs, and everything before or after the whole list of the mark and its homoglyph variations is blocked.
It is effectively eliminated when using the WildCard Block to block a mark. It is completely protected from the moment domains featuring the mark in any form are registered across all of ShortDot’s extensions.
Final Words
Domain blocking your trademarked names is critical. While hurrying through the domain registration process, many businesses are unaware of whether they have it or not. As a result, verify that your domain name is secured with your domain registrar and hosting provider.
To learn more about domain blocking your marks, go to www.shortblock.bond.