One of the secrets of a successful brand is their immunity against cybersquatters. I mean you need to develop a thick skin for this people. If you don’t want to regret in the nearest future when you brand might become very successful, please get the Protection against Cybersquatters today. Cybersquatters would either rip from your sweat or ake you pay through your nose for a domain name that would otherwise have cost close to nothing’
Let me make a good analogy: Amazon(the online retail giants) is fully protected against cybersquatters in the sense that any domain extensions you can ever come up with would lead you to them. Amazon.uk(is for UK residents). amazon.org will redirect you to amazon.com, amazon.jp is for Japan. Whatever the domain name extension you use to get Amazon, you will discover that they are one step ahead of you.
Similarly, Google owns every domain name with the name “Google” in it. E.g, google.com.ng, google.org, google.biz. google.tk and so on. Even though China has banned Google for God knows how long, “www.google.cn” would still ope the Chinese version of Google search engine page.
Consequently, as a webmaster or any website owner whatsoever, you need to have an adequate Protection against Cybersquatters. No domain owner is immune to their activities. In the next section, we shall be appraising the significance of cybersquatters in the cyberspace.
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What is Cybersquatting?
For the records, another name for cybersquatters is “domain hijackers”. Cybersquatters pride themselves as being involved in”internet business”. They specialise in buying prospective domain names and subsequently reselling them.
Also. some participants in the domain market business prefer to call themselves “domain investors” and distance themselves from cybersquatting. This is so because cybersquatting is associated with the capture of pirate domain names, unscrupulous dealings and even blackmail. Technically, cybersquatters define their line of business as “engagement in the registration of domain names for the future”. they further opine that they deal in domains for investment purposes” and not their seizure.
Be that as it may, cybersquatters, methods and approaches are generally the same.
The activities of cybersquatters are to, in full compliance with the laws, buy a domain captures and holds it until it will become hot in demand that it can be sold at a more expensive price.
Where do Cybersquatters get the Domain they buy from?
They use two basic approaches:
Approach 1.: Is to register names that are known to have prospects of becoming big brands. They also get information about products that are about making entry into the market.
Approach 2: Is to buy an abandoned domain. Here, everything is much easier. On Websites, many registrars have sections where the audience bid for liberated domains. Most of these squatters select the most promising ones and redeem them at auction.
The case remains very simple. The squatters try to find the former owner of an abandoned domain and try to persuade him to buy out the name again. Buying up abandoned domains (or drop-domain) is now the main activity of most cybersquatters.
Trick books of Most Cybersquatters
First off, for you to devise on the right Protection against Cybersquatters, you first need to know how they operate. You should know that many resources advice “how to avoid becoming a victim of cybersquatters”
Most of these “tips” are reduced to two points:
1. You are to blame for that missed or desired domain name.
2. Arguing with cybersquatters is useless, you should immediately agree to their terms.
However, If you are offered to buy back same domain you lost at an unreasonable price, it is better to refuse such an offer. The offer price is usually several times higher than the one you paid for cybersquatters domain at an auction.
Common Tactics of Cybersquatters
- They arrange an attraction/unprecedented generosity: You can see offers like “exclusive offer”, price “just for you” sell “at cost”, etc. All these tricks are aimed at one thing – to sell the buyer a specific domain. Some buyers are looking for a domain name with an alternative spelling. Such an embodiment is acceptable. After all, the project or the company’s is get exactly the domain that persistently trying to sell at a higher price.
- Another well-known trick of cybersquatters is to turn himself into a friend of the buyer. He already knows about your project and most likely already staked multiple domain names containing your project’s name. When you begin to give him audience, he will tell you that your domain is in the wrong hands, but he will help you get it back. This is a tactic. Mind you, all of them are the same. Now, you the buyer(cybersquatter) “as a friend” offer to negotiate with the “bad guys” (which actually does not exist) and to pay a certain sum. In other words, he is both the bad guy(a) who has taken your dropped domain or prospective domain as well as the good guy who is your friend that is trying to help you redeem your lost/ abandoned domain.
To put it in a layman’s language, I may have a www.myname.com and my business is doing well or has a very good prospect. Cybersquatters will just go an buy all other extensions of my domain name and lure me to buy tem back from me once my buz has enlarged to the level whereby I may need further domains. E.g, Cybersquatters will buy myname.biz, myname.net, myname.org and so on.
Various Types of Cybersquatters
Brandsvotting:
These types capture brand names domains containing the names of companies (E.g if anyone other than Google buy www.google.com.ng, that person is a cybersquatter). They can also purchase domain names with emerging and promising companies. These include all cases where squatters register a unique name and then re-sell them in different ways.
Name cybersquatting
These set of squatters are involved in the registration of domains with the names of celebrities, show business stars, politicians, prominent businessmen and even the characters of works of art (such as Harry Potter, Bond). Methods of obtaining money may vary from blackmailing of the celebrities to persuasion. For example, a porn picture may be placed on such domain to gain the attention of the celebrity or personality that is their target.
Geographic cybersquatting
This is the act of registering domain names with geographical names. Especially when these contains the name of the most promising names of popular resorts and tourist destinations. Egypt, Turkey, Brazil and so on. Most of the names and their variants are already registered in various languages.
Industry cybersquatting – the registration of the names of various industries and spheres of activities, products, and types of services. As a rule, it does not imply the registration of brands and names of firms and is therefore considered a legitimate way to earn money on domains.
Typosquatting
Typosquatting deals with the registration of names similar to well-known brands or portals. They deliberately misspell or use a variation of the target domain names. For example, (yadex.ru, jandex.ru, adiads.com, downlaod.com and the likes).
Buying abandoned domains
Finally, they can involve in domain purchase of the rights for which the owner does not have the time or could not be extended. In this case, cybersquatters received information about the liberated domain, buys it, and then offer the former owner at an inflated price
DOES CYBERSQUATTERS ONLY BUY AND SELL DOMAINS?
Contrary to popular belief, cybersquatters involve not only in buying and selling of domains. These market professionals have the credentials to search for prospective and abandoned domain names. As long as this is of great importance to potential customers.
Another duty of a cybersquatter is to establish connections in the world of Internet business. In order, to keep abreast of innovations in the start-up environment, so as not to miss out on prospective projects and to have time to stake out the desired domains we need cybersquatters. Therefore, intelligence gathering is also part of the daily work of cybersquatters.
According to one cybersquatter, the participants of this market has its own site and forums. At these sites, they do not share information about upcoming deals, and the more sales lead. There’s more talk about general trends, discussing the known cases and the already completed deals.
Protection Against Cybersquatters or how to avoid their Traps
There are 7 ways by with your Protection against Cybersquatters is guaranteed as a brand or prospective business entity. Fasten your seatbelt and read along with me:
1. Do not disclose the names of your future products or projects.
First, it is necessary to register a domain before you announce the product launch. Another tactic is to select a name for the product based on the availability of the domain name. Otherwise, you will end up buying your new domain name from cybersquatters. You can buy one for like $250 instead of $10 to $12
2. Select the original names
This measure will reduce the probability of a coincidence with already occupied domain names.
3. When buying basic domain enrol multiple by buying as much of the extensions as you can afford
In other words, buy all the “confusing” or “similar names” before cybersquatters find and take them (Example: jandex.com, yadex.com and yandex.com or yandex.biz, yandex.ru, yandex.org). The cost is in all cases cheaper than to buy them one by one from the squatters.
4. Participate in domain name auction.
There, cybersquatters often hold free domains. Participation in the domain auctions does not require special knowledge and skills. Some auctions are held on the registrars sites. There you can pick up a suitable domain without surcharges.
5. Check back History of sales in the auction is in the public domain, where you can always see at what price the domain was original.
6 Always extend your domain name registration in time: the registration of a domain name if you already have a domain. As a rule, all contracts are for one year.
7. Do not cooperate with cybersquatters. They will always be the winner.
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