Last month, the Brand Safety Alliance (BSA) presented a series of Market Briefings webinars in partnership with our accredited agents, to share updates and information on GlobalBlock’s largest coverage expansion to date and upcoming product enhancements.
Following the addition of China’s .cn and Germany’s .de ccTLDs along with dozens of other new extensions, GlobalBlock’s coverage grew to 780 extensions and the BSA team connected with hundreds of brands around the world to explain what this means for online brand protection.
Across 15 sessions, we spoke with representatives from 250 brands to explain:
How GlobalBlock has grown and expanded in two years since launch
Why the tide is shifting away from reactive enforcement measures to proactive brand protection
What’s next for GlobalBlock and the BSA
The sessions were incredibly engaged and prompted many insightful questions from brand representatives and IP professionals keen to learn more about domain blocking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Among the Q&A discussions, some questions became a common thread. Below is a brief summary and we’ll explore these and more in future weeks on the GlobalBlock blog.
What’s next for GlobalBlock? Can you elaborate on any upcoming plans from the BSA?
Our focus at GlobalBlock is to continue to expand the level of value it provides for customers. This includes adding more high-value domain extensions to increase the protection brands can receive and we’re forecasting another batch in July. We’ll also enhance and improve visibility of the Priority AutoCatch and Domain Unblock features, so brands can take full advantage of the benefits they offer.
Increasing our reporting mechanisms is a key focus, including making our Domain Vulnerability Reports more accessible to brands. This data can provide truly invaluable insight to improve brand protection posture and support threat intelligence teams with greater understanding.
How will GlobalBlock protect brands in the next round of new TLDs?
The BSA fundamentally believes that ICANN’s rights protection mechanisms in the 2012 round didn’t go far enough to actually protect brands. With the second round likely to follow a similar structure, we want GlobalBlock to fill some of that void. We’ll approach every successful new TLD applicant to join GlobalBlock prior to launching their extension, so our valued customers can receive stronger protection than was available in the previous new TLD round. In some cases, this may support brands to avoid Sunrise processes in participating TLDs. We hope to help new TLD registries to understand the value of working with the IP community and providing the level of protection they deserve.
Why would I choose to unblock a domain, and how does that process work?
As people are becoming more aware of Domain Unblock, we’re seeing an increase in requests from GlobalBlock customers. Domain Unblock allows brands to request any domain currently protected by GlobalBlock to be released so the brand can register it for use. When this happens, it’s not released to the public or to drop catchers, just exclusively to the block holder (the brand). This means it’s a completely safe way to access a previously protected domain if you’ve found a use for it.
There are several reasons brands are choosing to unblock domains. Many are used for a microsite, or are geographic domains representing a space the brand might be entering. Some brands also unblock domains for temporary reasons, such as a promotion or campaign, knowing the domain can be safely returned to the block when it’s no longer needed.
We’re also seeing a lot of brands who simply weren’t aware of the new extensions available to them, and now with greater visibility of the cool spaces on offer, they’re choosing to activate them from within their GlobalBlock portfolio.
How does GlobalBlock pricing work – will pricing change as new extensions are added?
We’ve tried really hard to ensure the price for GlobalBlock stays as stable as possible, but it is logical to understand that as the service grows, we will need to increase the price. That said, our last price increase was approximately 18 months ago. It’s likely there’ll be a modest increase at some stage due to the sheer volume of new extensions added to the service – including more than 70 in March and another 60+ forecasted to come in July.
It’s important to note, however, that price increases don’t affect existing customers during their term. New coverage is added automatically at no additional fee. Only when it comes time to renew will a current customer receive any updated pricing. People who are looking to purchase or renew can do so in advance to avoid the price rise.
What are the differences between DPML (and other blocking services) and GlobalBlock?
GlobalBlock has become the world’s largest domain name blocking service, but it owes its lineage to some key services that have gone before. Domain blocking is not new, as it started more than a decade ago with .xxx and Identity Digital’s DPML product. In fact, until the launch of GlobalBlock, DPML was the gold standard and paved the way for domain blocking at scale.
We’re really fortunate that our friends at Identity Digital have partnered with the BSA. All DPML extensions are included in GlobalBlock and those who have held DPML in the past have been offered discounted paths to upgrade their coverage.
One of the key differences is that GlobalBlock will continue to expand beyond the Identity Digital portfolio. GlobalBlock’s coverage is significantly larger, now reaching 75% of the world’s gTLDs and over 60% of all TLDs worldwide.
How can I see how many domains are protected for me?
One of the things we’re really proud of is the reporting and data capabilities we share with the domain industry, IP professionals and the wider brand protection community. That includes existing GlobalBlock customers and those considering how it might support their brand.
We created the Domain Vulnerability Report, available from the GlobalBlock website and through our accredited agents. The report gives a personalized snapshot of what domains GlobalBlock can protect for any brand label, as well as the domains that aren’t available to be protected – because they’re already in your portfolio or potentially held by third parties. This gives a picture of overall brand health and pointers for how GlobalBlock can support you.
We thank the agent partners who collaborated with us on this Market Briefings series, as well as the brand protection professionals who made the time to attend and ask insightful questions. We’re committed to providing more opportunities to interact with the BSA team so we can continue to understand the needs of IP and trademark practitioners, transforming these into innovative industry solutions to real challenges.
Tony Kirsch
