Equifax Takes Action to Recover Domain Names

In the wake of the massive breach at Equifax, I wrote about the number of domain name registrations with “Equifax” in them. Smartly, it looks like Equifax is beginning to take action to recover domain names that could potentially be used by bad actors. Equifax came under fire recently because of the domain name it used for its security website.

According to the most recent update of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website, Equifax filed three separate UDRP proceedings to recover domain names it believes are infringing on its trademarks. The three UDRP filings that have been made so far can be found here:

• D2017-1875
• D2017-1880
• D2017-1882

In total, there are 285 domain names that are listed in these three UDRP filings.

With UDRP filings, a company is able to file one UDRP for multiple domain names registered to the same entity. I did not check the Whois records on the domain names that are subject of the UDRP filings, but this would indicate there are three entities that will be the respondents.

The domain names cover a wide range of extensions, including .com, .net, .xyz, .org, .club, .today, .mobi, and many others. Most of these domain names were either potential typos of the Equifax Security website or close variations that could be confusing.

A handful of the domain names that are included in the three UDRP filings at WIPO include:

• equifaxhack.org
• equifaxscan.com
• 2017equifax.com
• equifaxsecurty.com
• wwwequifax2017.com

It is a smart move to use the UDRP process to try and recover these domain names. The UDRP was designed to be a cost-effective proceeding that enables trademark holders to recover infringing domain names in a timely manner.

I will keep my eyes on these three UDRPs and see if the company files other proceedings at WIPO or the National Arbitration Forum (NAF).