Have you ever typed in the address of a website that you thought was the right one, clicked “enter” and ended up in a place with nothing to do with it?
Cybersquatting Vs Typosquatting: What’s the Difference?
Normally these random pages are watered with advertisements and strange advertisements. Chances are you’ve already gone through this.
This can also happen when you search for a website in some search engine and end up finding several results that have nothing to do with what you are looking for.
There are two possibilities for this to happen: it could be that someone registered the domain before the trademark or it could be that you simply made a mistake when typing the address.
At first glance, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, things are not quite like that. Practices like these are called cybersquatting or typosquatting.
Want to know more about them? So come with us!
What is cybersquatting?
Cybersquatting (or cyberpossession) is nothing more than first registering a domain to which another natural or legal person would have the right. We are not talking about common and generic addresses, but names that are relevant to the market or are related to famous brands, people and events.
Let’s take an example: those who want to know more about the iPhone or buy it can go to the official Apple website. Now, imagine if a malicious person makes a record like “iphone.com” to trick anyone who searches for the device.
Those who use cybersquatting intend to throw a lot of links, spam and bizarre advertisements in the user’s face. In addition, the “smart guys” also tend to put these domains up for sale at absurd prices, exactly because they know that the real owners of the name want to acquire it.
Unfortunately, this type of scam on the internet is possible due to the so-called “first come, first served” principle, which states that every domain should be given to whoever comes first, without consulting whether the individual is actually part of or related to the brand in question. question.
In Brazil, there is a Bill (PL nº. 256/2003) that proposes requirements for granting these registrations. However, there is no forecast for it to be voted on and defined.
What is typosquatting?
Typosquatting is a practice that consists of changing or removing a letter from the name of a domain to be registered, so that it looks very similar to the original address of a brand and, thus, can deceive users.
This technique unfortunately works very well in Brazil, as a large number of Brazilians make mistakes when typing a domain or brand name. Thus, they are more likely to believe that the site is real.
Just like cybersquatting, typosquatting also brings up lots of random advertisements on the page. However, another dangerous activity within this practice is the sale of fake or non-existent products as if they were from the original company.
It is very important to keep in mind that this type of activity is considered illegal, even if you do not sell products. After all, according to art. 195 of Law no. 9279, of 1996, on industrial property, typosquatting can be seen as unfair competition, so that violators are subject to punishment.
If you feel harmed in any way by cybersquatting or typosquatting, be sure to file a complaint and seek your rights. These are terrible practices that need to be stopped so that the user has real protection on the internet.
Have you been through this? Have you ever had intellectual or financial losses due to cybersquatting and/or typosquatting? If you want more informative content about technology and current affairs, keep an eye on the Coopersystem blog!