Protecting brand names in the domain space is a big and important task, the solution of which requires quite a lot of effort and money. And if things are quite good in traditional domain zones with the protection of the interests of copyright holders, then with alternative domain zones based on the use of blockchain technology, everything is much more complicated. Such domains are not governed by ICANN rules and therefore do not apply, for example, the UDRP, which allows copyright holders to gain control over domain names that use their protected trademark names.
In addition, domain names in alternative domain zones are the property of their owners, and even the registry that allocated the domain name does not have the ability to block it. All this, together with the growing popularity of alternative domains, creates a serious cause for concern for copyright holders. But now, perhaps, the situation will become a little easier: according to The Domains, Tom Barrett, the head and founder of the Encirca, announced the creation of the Altroots service. This is the first service of its kind that allows you to search for domain names that are similar or confusingly similar to the names of protected trademarks in alternative domain zones. Its use will allow copyright holders to at least become aware of the existence of alternative domains that violate their rights. Further actions will probably have to be carried out in court.
