Markmonitor launches expired domain service

Service promises to give trademark holders front-of-line access to expiring domains.

Brand protection domain name registrar Markmonitor has launched DomainDefend, a new service to help brands snag expiring domains.

The company bills it as an “enhanced monitoring subscription program of aftermarket spaces that offers brand owners front-of-the-line access to desirable domain names.”

Newfold Digital acquired Markmonitor late last year, and the new service is an example of how the acquisition could help Markmonitor clients. Newfold owns many large registrars that combine to make it the second-largest domain name registrar, at least in terms of .com domains under management.

Its registrars include Network Solutions, Register.com, Domain.com and BigRock, among others. It also operates expired domain marketplaces NameJet and SnapNames.

I contacted Newfold Digital to understand which domains Markmonitor can help its clients capture before they go through the full expiration process. A spokesperson for the company wrote:

The simple answer here is that any domain available through both Newfold Expiry and Drop-catching can potentially be available for our Markmonitor customers that have approved matching criteria through our DomainDefend program.

Many Newfold registrars send their expiry streams to GoDaddy Auctions rather than NameJet or SnapNames, but the company can hold back domains before they go to GoDaddy Auctions.

In practice, I envision companies like Microsoft and Amazon (both MarkMonitor clients) using the service to capture expiring typo domains and other domains that match their trademarks.

GoDaddy Corporate Domains, a much smaller competitor to MarkMonitor, promises clients a fast track to IP abuse at GoDaddy. It’s a way to leverage GoDaddy’s retail network. Now, Markmonitor can leverage retail registrars to provide value add for its clients, too.