Registrars can now block all domains that resemble brand names

This article examines GlobalBlock, a registrar-delivered brand protection service (and its expanded GlobalBlock+) that blocks exact-match and confusable domain variations—including homoglyphs—to mitigate phishing and impersonation, with features like priority AutoCatch and availability across hundreds of TLDs. It highlights substantial pricing and the potential to preemptively reserve tens of thousands of domains, while exploring legal and free-speech implications raised by the EFF, such as overbroad suppression of legitimate speech and conflicts arising from common or jurisdictionally distinct trademarks, noting that existing UDRP processes already address abusive registrations.