Typosquatting High Traffic Trademark Protected Domain Names

Is typosquatting worth $100,000 in liability? 

Harvard University recently performed a study that estimated the amount of profit Google is generating from ad placements on typosquatted domain names.  The report alleges that Google potentially earns $500 million a year in revenue from the advertisements that are placed on the misspelled popular trademark domain names. But is it worth the liability?

It’s really simple to register a domain name which is a typographical variation of a high-traffic, trademark-protected website, and put up landing pages with advertisements, but rarely will you make more than a couple hundred dollars per year.  A cybersquatting lawsuit filed against you could result in $100,000 worth of statutory damages, plus attorney’s fees. 

Related Articles:

• Is Google Profiting From Typosquatting? Harvard Business Professor Sues Google for Mass Trademark Infringement
• Bad News for Google, Facing Typo-squatting Lawsuit After its Motion for Summary Judgment was Denied
• Cyberlaw Update: Google sued for allowing typo-squatting