--- title: Empower your Brand by Using UDRP & URS Anti-Counterfeiting Initiatives description: Using UDRP & USR anti-counterfeiting initiatives can help strengthen your business's online presence and protect against cybersquatters and more. image: http://www.scoutcms.com/hubfs/images/UDRP_URS_Anti_Counterfeiting_Initiatives.jpg --- [![Scout Logo - Black](https://www.scoutcms.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Scout%20Logo%20-%20Black.png?width=777&height=183&name=Scout%20Logo%20-%20Black.png "Scout Logo - Black")](https://www.scoutcms.com/) [![Scout Logo - Black](https://www.scoutcms.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Scout%20Logo%20-%20Black.png?width=777&height=183&name=Scout%20Logo%20-%20Black.png "Scout Logo - Black")](https://www.scoutcms.com/) # Empower your Brand by Using UDRP & URS Anti-Counterfeiting Initiatives ![](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2040891/Marketplace/WASABI/icons/icon-calendar.svg) *By scoutadmin - March 14, 2017* Counterfeiting comes in all shapes and sizes – it’s no longer predominantly street corners or flea markets. In fact, counterfeiters can use the Internet and website domains therein to piggyback off successful brands more so than ever before. You’ll hear the term “cybersquatting,” to describe it.Cybersquatting is defined in U.S. federal law as **“registering, trafficking in, or using an Internet domain name with bad faith and intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else.” ** This has happened to [Nestlé](http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/news/nestle-defeats-cybersquatter-who-used-website-for-fraudulent-activities-4934) and [Tinder,](http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/news/all-s-fair-in-love-and-war-tinder-defeats-dating-service-cybersquatter-4946) who have both defeated cybersquatters seeking to sell and conduct in fraudulent activity. There are ways to **empower your brand and protect your business** against these counterfeiters and squatters. These anti-counterfeiting initiatives include the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number’s (ICANN’s) **Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) **and **Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS)** procedures. ### UDRP & USR Policies As a frame of reference, if you’re unaware of how copyright and trademark infringements work, we advise you to check out our previous blog [here](https://www.scoutcms.com/blog/understanding-the-difference-between-copyright-and-trademark-infringement) to catch yourself up to speed. ### How UDRP and USR policies work is simple: *For those instances where the domain name of a website selling counterfeit products itself contains the brand, these policies can have the website shut down and even have the domain transferred to the complainant brand owner so that its customer traffic can be routed to a legitimate website.** *[*Source *](http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/article/udrp-and-urs-part-of-the-anti-counterfeiting-battle) UDRP and USR are extremely helpful because brands don’t need to conclusively verify that the products offered on a potentially counterfeit website are fake for it to be shut down. ### Empower & Protect Your Brand While these policies don’t dig up the source of the counterfeiter themselves, enforcing it discourages counterfeiters from attacking or becoming a repeat offender – especially if they get shut down quickly. Utilizing these policies as a resource helps you **take charge of your trademark, **and enforce it much like the aforementioned cases have. Want a few other starting points on how to stay alert to cybersquatting and counterfeiting? Consider these action items: - If you have a unique brand, product or formula, consider registering for a trademark – this includes global trademarks wherever it’s being sold and circulated - Have someone in your organization dedicated to brand protection – ***especially *****training and education for your employees ** - Find a mentor who can provide sound advice for your company; an error of many organizations is listening to whoever shows you the ugliest portrayal of your brand, and promises you that they’ll fix it - Stay up-to-date with the latest technology, so you can **catch bad guys offline *****and***** online** There’s never a 100% guarantee that no one’s going to use your brand for ill; having 0 tolerance is simply unrealistic in today’s fast-paced world. What you *can *do, however, is put all the best practices in place to reinforce and shut down websites and knockoffs that pop up. UDRP and USR are policies that can help you facilitate this in an effective and actionable way. If you’re wondering about other ways you can maintain your brand’s image, feel free to check out our **brand protection eBook**! [![Brand Protection Program](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2433248/6cbb06a9-9e9c-488b-8de8-6fc401689794.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2433248/6cbb06a9-9e9c-488b-8de8-6fc401689794) Comments ### Sign Up for our Blog We promise that we won't SPAM you. Copyright © 2026 Virtual Advantage, LLC d/b/a Scout CMS. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners. Virtual Advantage, LLC d/b/a, 3310 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 265, Troy, MI 48084, United States [Terms and Policies](https://www.scoutcms.com/terms-of-usage)