Asia IP

Hong Kong Internet Registration Coporation (HKIRC) has launched the first .hk domain name monitering service for brand owners.

The domain name is .hk WATCH, which is now open for all brand owners. It monitors ".hk" domain names, yet is does not imply the search label must be ending with ".hk". By using this method, customers with other Top Level Domains (TLDs) can find out all .hk domain names which are identical, similar or feature common misspellings of their search label (s), also those combining prefix/suffix 'wildcards'.

“Over the past few years, concerns about infringement using domain names has been on the rise, as more and more global brands have discovered that their domain names have been registered for malicious activities,” Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC told SMBWorld Asia Editors. “Brand infringers or cybersquatters use the brand names maliciously or even mimic a reputable company’s domain name, creating confusion for the public. In return, this impacts a company’s brand reputation, business and customer loyalty.”

The .hk WATCH service closely monitors .hk domain names to identify those which are identical, similar or feature common misspellings of a name, trademark or service mark, as well as those combining prefix/ suffix “wildcards” with trademarks, effectively tackling possible attempts of .hk domain names being used for cybersquatting and typosquatting activities.

This service also provides an initial report for subscribers, showing existing .hk domain names which resemble the brand name(s) or mark(s). The search runs daily, checking for newly registered .hk domain name that meets the search criteria. It keeps brand owners updated in a timely manner, alerting them if there is malicious activity.

Service rate varies from few hundreds HK dollars to several thousand a year, depending on which HKIRC’s Accredited Registrar the users are contacting, also the search label’s length. The shorter the label, the higher the annual rate.