Reverse domain hijacking: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The term reverse domain hijacking refers to the practice of acquiring domain names from owners by accusing them of violating trademarks with the domain name, and demanding that the domain be transferred.

The name refers to the practice of domain hijacking, in which a domain name consisting of a trademark or another well-known name is registered solely with the intent of selling it to the trademark owner later on.

A widely regarded case of reverse domain hijacking occurred in 2000, when the Deutsche Welle attempted to acquire the domain dw.com from software company Diamond Ware. This attempt was reprimanded as reverse domain hijacking in 2001 by the WIPO [1].