Trademark Protection & Anti-Squatting Policy
As a modern registrar operating decentralized Top-Level Domains (TLDs) like .agent and .chatbot on the Handshake network, HeadlessDomains takes brand protection and anti-squatting seriously.
This document outlines how we protect trademarks compared to the legacy ICANN system.
The Traditional ICANN System: TMCH
In the legacy DNS world (controlled by ICANN), new TLD operators are required to integrate with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH). The TMCH is a centralized, gated database operated by Deloitte and IBM. Brands pay high fees to list their trademarks, and TLD operators must pay to check registrations against this database to prevent squatting.
Limitations of TMCH for Web3/Agents: 1. It is a closed, paid system. 2. It does not integrate natively with decentralized naming systems like Handshake. 3. It creates a high barrier to entry for innovative, community-run TLDs.
The HeadlessDomains Alternative Solution
Instead of relying on a centralized, expensive clearinghouse, HeadlessDomains uses an Open-Source Data approach pioneered by the Handshake community to protect global brands.
1. The Global "Top 10,000" Blocklist
To prevent squatters from registering famous brand names (e.g., google.agent, stripe.chatbot), we automatically reserve the top global brand names based on the Tranco Top 1 Million list (an open-source equivalent to the Alexa Top 1M).
When a new TLD is launched on HeadlessDomains, our system automatically strips the .com from the top 10,000 most trafficked websites in the world and adds them to a reserved_names database.
If an AI agent or human attempts to register amazon.agent, the system will instantly reject it as a "Reserved Name."
2. System & Technical Reservations
To prevent phishing and protect network infrastructure, we also hard-block common technical subdomains across all our TLDs, including:
www, admin, api, support, help, billing, login, auth, mail, ns1, dashboard, secure.
3. The Trademark Claims Process
If a name is reserved (e.g., openai.agent), it is not lost forever—it is simply protected for the rightful owner.
How a brand claims their reserved name:
1. The brand contacts HeadlessDomains support.
2. We verify their identity using standard DNS verification (e.g., asking them to place a specific TXT record on their main .com domain).
3. Once verified, an admin manually adds their user_id to the TLD's whitelist and removes the block, allowing them to register the name securely.
Summary
By combining open-source traffic data with strict technical reservations and manual claims, HeadlessDomains provides enterprise-grade trademark protection without the overhead of the legacy ICANN TMCH system.