New CSC Report Finds Heightened Concern for IP Infringement as Expanding Domain Ecosystems Increase Operational Pressure

Ninety percent of respondents say AI-enabled systems are increasing the frequency of online IP infringements

CSC, an enterprise-class domain registrar and global provider of domain security, brand protection, and fraud protection services, today released new research examining how senior executives specializing in intellectual property (IP) law are responding to growing online infringement risks and preparing for the expansion of the domain namespace. According to CSC’s The State of Online IP Risk 2026 report, 96% of senior IP law executives are concerned about the threat of IP infringements, with 90% noting AI-enabled systems are increasing online IP infringements.

To identify current and emerging IP risks and to understand how organizations plan to respond, CSC surveyed 300 senior executives specializing in IP law—including general counsels, chief legal officers, and chief technology officers—in Q2 2026. This research is timely following the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s latest round of generic top-level domain (gTLD) applications, which closed on August 12, 2026. As new gTLDs are reviewed and potentially approved, organizations will have increased domain space on the internet to fuel business growth and brand visibility online. At the same time, they will have a broader ecosystem of domains that require management and protection.

Bad actors already have a low bar to entry for IP infringement, as nearly anyone can register domains or open profiles to promote fraudulent information and services. This fact, coupled with widespread adoption of digital channels for almost all aspects of life, makes IP assets significantly more difficult to protect against attacks. As a result, organizations run the risk of serious financial and reputational damage. Survey respondents rated the three most concerning types of online IP infringements as impersonation (40%), phishing (39%), and domain name abuse (39%), with the riskiest channels for infringement being internet content/branded content, online marketplaces, and paid search.

Additional key findings include:

• The top three operational challenges when managing IP infringements were slow enforcement processes (73%), small teams and/or lack of dedicated staff (65%), and high volume of infringement activity (64%).
• Twenty-seven percent of respondents have seen a “significant” increase in the number of IP infringements faced by their organizations over the past 12 months, while 29% anticipate a “significant” increase in the number of online IP infringements in the next 12 months.
• Regulatory issues and penalties were cited by 66% of respondents as a significant consequence of IP infringement.
• Most respondents (59%) said they outsource up to half of infringement monitoring activities to specialist third parties.
• Twenty-six percent of respondents say they use AI extensively to support IP protection, while 70% use it moderately.

“Beyond brand damage, online IP infringements cause a variety of consequences for businesses today, including lost revenue, customer harm, and regulatory exposure,” states Elliott Champion, global product director for brand protection at CSC. “The primary goal for organizations must be to ensure that their marketing, IT, security, and legal teams are aligned on their IP and domain management strategies—particularly in advance of any domain expansions that occur following approved gTLD applications. Relying only on defensive registration strategies will become more expensive, so we recommend combining risk-based registrations with blocking, monitoring, enforcement, and abuse mitigation.”

While ICANN’s new round of gTLDs provides new opportunities for domain name portfolios, the cost of defensive domain registrations among new gTLDs was the biggest concern (60%) related to the expansion of the domain namespace. In addition, 58% of respondents said cybersquatting or brand-infringing registrations under new extensions was a concern. To adapt domain governance programs in advance of major namespace expansions, organizations should revisit their monitoring and enforcement programs to ensure the right level of protection for revenue, reputation, and online business operations.

For senior executives specializing in IP law, The State of Online IP Risk 2026 researchfindings raise three key questions:

1. What IP risks are top of mind for IP risk/management leaders right now?
   The three most concerning types of online IP infringements according to this year’s survey were impersonation, phishing, and domain name abuse, with the riskiest channels for infringement being internet content/branded content, online marketplaces, and paid search.
2. Why does the new gTLD program matter to enterprise organizations?
   ICANN’s new round of gTLDs provides opportunities for organizations to create new domain name portfolios, increasing their domain space on the internet to fuel business growth and brand visibility. However, as new gTLDs are reviewed and potentially approved, organizations will have a broader ecosystem of domains that require management and protection to prevent cybersquatting or brand-infringing registrations under new extensions.
3. How can executives strengthen their protection against IP infringements?
   To adapt domain governance programs in advance of major namespace expansions, organizations should ensure that their marketing, IT, security, and legal teams are aligned on processes and ownership for IP and domain management. Those in charge of these areas should revisit their organization’s monitoring and enforcement programs to ensure the right level of protection for revenue, reputation, and online business operations.

Download CSC’s The State of Online IP Risk 2026 report.

About CSC
CSC is the trusted security and threat intelligence provider of choice for the Forbes Global 2000 and the 100 Best Global Brands (Interbrand^®) with focus areas in domain security and management, along with digital brand and fraud protection. As global companies make significant investments in their security posture, our DomainSec℠ platform can help them understand cybersecurity oversights that exist and help them secure their online digital assets and brands. By leveraging CSC’s proprietary technology, companies can solidify their security posture to protect against cyber threat vectors targeting their online assets and brand reputation, helping them avoid devastating revenue loss. CSC also provides online brand protection—the combination of online brand monitoring and enforcement activities—with a multidimensional view of various threats outside the firewall targeting specific domains. Fraud protection services that combat phishing in the early stages of attack round out our solutions. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, since 1899, CSC has offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. CSC is a global company capable of doing business wherever our clients are—and we accomplish that by employing experts in every business we serve. Visit cscdbs.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260922429255/en/