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What are cybersquatting, reverse domain name hijacking,
phishing, and email spoofing?
Cybersquatting is the single most misunderstood and misapplied label in all of domain name investing.
Cybersquatting, according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else.
Due to the lack of professionalism of some journalists and writers, cybersquatting has been often incorrectly described as simply registering a domain name without developing that domain into a fully functional website. This irresponsible definition by so called "journalists" created significant confusion in the mind of the general public
as to what cybersquatting truly is.
Most domain name investors and developers actively avoid cybersquatting. In fact, a majority of domain name investors deal only in generic domain names that are not subject to being classified as trademarks. PremiumDomains.biz acquire, develop, and monetize only high-quality generic domains.
Reverse Domain Name Hijacking is the practice of misusing legal and administrative processes (such as a court action or the UDRP proceeding) to take a domain name by accusing the domain registrant of violating weak or non-existent trademarks related to the domain name.
The corporation or individual aiming to "steal"
the domain name typically send a certified cease and desist letter claiming that the lawful registrant is in some way exploiting or profiting from an established trademark. This action is intended to scare the registrant into handing over the domain name.
While trademark infringement does occur in internet commerce, Reverse Domain Name Hijacking is a false claim of infringement with the real goal aimed at stripping rightful domain registrants of their domain(s). Some unscrupulous Intellectual Property (IP) law firms trade in these kinds of tactics.
However, reputable IP law firms easily distinguish trademark infringment from lawful domain registration rights.
Phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information (such as usernames, passwords and credit card details) by presenting oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication (typically in an email).
An example of phishing would be receiving an email bearing a popular company logo (or official appearance) in which you are asked to update your contact information or resubmit your credit card information "for security purposes". This email has actually come from a crook seeking to trick you into releasing sensitive information to them.
They, in turn, use that information to make purchases charged to you, open accounts in your name, or commit other acts of fraud using your identity.
Email spoofing is a term used to describe fraudulent email activity in which the sender of the email has altered the address and other parts of the email header to appear as though the email originated from a different source. Email spoofing is a technique commonly used for sending mass spam email.
Email spoofing is an unfortunate internet epidemic with no clear solution at the present time.
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