Category: Illegal Domain Activities

Misrepresenting Ownership in Marketplace Listings

The domain name marketplace thrives on transparency, trust, and credibility. Investors, entrepreneurs, and corporations rely on platforms to connect buyers and sellers across the globe, often transacting deals worth thousands or even millions of dollars. At the center of these transactions lies a fundamental expectation: that the seller actually owns, or is authorized to sell,…

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Falsifying Proof of Prior Use to Beat a UDRP

The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, better known as the UDRP, is one of the most important mechanisms in the domain name industry. It provides trademark owners with a relatively quick and cost-effective means of reclaiming domains that they allege were registered in bad faith. For domain investors and registrants, the UDRP is often the legal…

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Operating as a Broker Without Required Licenses

The domain name industry has matured from a loosely organized ecosystem of early speculators into a structured global marketplace where millions of dollars in digital assets change hands daily. As the value of premium names has risen, so too has the role of brokers, who act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers. These professionals negotiate…

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Manipulating ‘Make Offer’ Data Deceptive Practices

In the modern domain name industry, marketplaces and listing platforms have become the central venues where buyers and sellers converge. These platforms thrive on transparency and the efficient presentation of data, giving investors, corporate buyers, and brokers the tools to assess pricing trends, negotiate transactions, and make decisions about value. One of the most widely…

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Using Fake Escrow Brands and Look Alike Domains

The domain name industry has grown into a global marketplace where transactions often involve five, six, or even seven figures. Because of the value at stake and the international nature of these deals, trust is a central component. Escrow services have emerged as the essential infrastructure for building that trust, acting as neutral third parties…

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Failing to Verify Age Restricted Content Buyers

The domain name industry has long been a conduit for the distribution of all types of content, from mainstream commercial websites to highly regulated industries that deal with sensitive materials. Among the most heavily scrutinized sectors are those that involve age-restricted content, such as adult entertainment, online gambling, vaping products, alcohol sales, and even certain…

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Forging Notarizations or Apostilles on Domain Assignments

In the evolving economy of digital assets, domain names have secured their place as highly valuable property, often traded at prices rivaling physical real estate or intellectual property portfolios. Because of this value, transactions involving premium domains frequently require layers of documentation that resemble traditional asset transfers, including contracts, assignments, and proof of authority. To…

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Ignoring Export Controls on Encryption Related Domains

The domain name industry often prides itself on the idea that it deals with intangible property, unbound by the traditional trade laws that apply to physical goods. Domains, after all, are simply digital addresses within the global namespace, transferred from one registrant to another with no boxes shipped across borders or warehouses filled with inventory.…

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Refusing to Honor Escrow Instructions Conversion and Fraud

In the domain name industry, escrow services are the backbone of trust. They allow high-value digital assets to change hands across borders, cultures, and jurisdictions without requiring blind faith in counterparties. Buyers wire funds to a neutral third party, sellers transfer domains to the same third party or to an agreed registrar account, and only…

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Coercive Non Disparagement Clauses in Domain Deals

The domain name industry has matured into a sophisticated asset class where negotiations often mirror the complexity of real estate or intellectual property transactions. Contracts in this space are no longer simple agreements to transfer a name in exchange for payment; they are often layered with provisions covering warranties, indemnities, tax responsibilities, confidentiality, and increasingly,…

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