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Online Trademark Abuse Monitoring
(Domains & PPC)
Online Trademark Abuse Monitoring
(Domains & PPC)David Naffziger CEO, BrandVerity
Domain MonitoringDomain Monitoring
• Think like an abuser
• Which Domains to Monitor/Register– Brand Extensions– Typos– Alternate Domain extensions (.cn, etc.)
• Which domains to pursue– Purpose of Site– Traffic to Site
Think like a TradeMark abuserThink like a TradeMark abuser
• Why would someone register an illegitimate domain?– Make Money
• Type-in traffic• Sell it back to you• SEO
– Defame• Embarrass the company
– Misdirect• Competitors
Typos of Virgin MobileTypos of Virgin Mobile
20,000 visitors a month
3,200
1,600
30,000
9,000 200
Find TyposFind Typos
http://www.domaintools.com/domain-typo/ orhttp://www.citizenhawk.com
Find Brand ExtensionsFind Brand Extensions
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordTool orhttp://www.keyworddiscovery.com
Find International RegistrationsFind International Registrations
http://www.domainsearch.com
Multiplex the three formsMultiplex the three forms
• Combine Typo and Country– Virginatlatic.co.uk
• Combine Typo and Brand Extension– Virginatlaticmobile.com
• Combine Brand Extension and Country– Virginatlanticmobile.co.uk
• Combine everything– Virginatlaticmobile.co.uk
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/default.aspx
A giant list of domains – Now what?A giant list of domains – Now what?
Figure out which domains you care about:
• Domains that have traffic
• Domains that are used by competitors
• Domains that are offensive
Who has Traffic?Who has Traffic?
Good indicators of Traffic:• AdWords Keyword Tool
– Input both the full domain and just the stem: (virginatlatic & virginatlatic.com) and check scores
• KeywordTracker– Same exercise as with AdWords Keyword Tool
• Registration Date– Older registrations are more likely to have traffic
• Buy AdWords for every typo in question
Who has Traffic? (cont'd)Who has Traffic? (cont'd)
http://www.compete.com/ orhttp://www.alexa.com
PPC TM AbusePPC TM Abuse
• Higher bar for PPC Abuse since it requires $$ to operate
• Abuse is frequently conducted by organizations that:– Compete with you– Are your partners (affiliates)– Strongly dislike you
Methods of AbuseMethods of Abuse
• How they hide from you:– Reverse geo-targeting– Day-parting– Copy your ad text
Methods of AbuseMethods of Abuse
• How they dodge Google's filters:– TM in Display URL– Variations on TM (typos,
spaces, etc.)
Protective MeasuresProtective Measures
• Get your trademark registered in Google– http://www.google.com/tm_complaint_adwords.html
• Try to register your typos and extensions with Google– Mixed success– Make sure you use an email account from the domain
you are protecting
• If that fails, trademark your most trafficked typos then go back to Google
MonitoringMonitoring
• Manual– Use Google Translate or other translation tools
• Or proxies• Or AOL client• Or anything that gets you an IP from a different location
– Do the testing off-hours– Look at the page source
• Automated– Shameless plug: BrandVerity PoachMark
• Free, no-credit-card trial
