BlackRock Initiates Lawsuit Against 44 Imitative Domains and Typosquatting Websites, Including Crypto Facsimiles

BlackRock As a prominent asset management firm globally, BlackRock has taken a stand called for action against the fraudulent domains and typosquatting websites that it believes are aiming to profit off its name. The company has filed a suit in a U.S. courtroom, asserting that the owners of 44 domains with names strikingly similar to its own are engaging in this illicit behavior. These domain names incorporate keywords such as 'Blackrock,' 'Aladdin,' 'crypto,' and 'investments.'

The investment giant contends that these domains were registered in a deceptive manner, with the intent to exploit its reputation and confuse potential customers, ultimately generating revenue through tactics like pay-per-click advertising, malware distribution, and phishing scams.

BlackRock argues that it has been a victim of improper usage, registration, and dissemination of the domain names closely linked to BLACKROCK, ALADDIN, and BLK, which are owned by the company.

Typosquatting poses significant risks to consumers as it leads to confusion with legitimate websites, frequently resulting in users' devices getting infected with viruses, adware, or other intrusive software, while their personal data could also be compromised and misused, alongside an unending influx of unwanted promotional content.

the lawsuit read.

In its court filing, BlackRock references research indicating that over 95% of the top 500 websites on the internet fall prey to typosquatting, where domains are created with slight typographical errors that are similar to established sites.

Included among the domains under scrutiny are some associated with cryptocurrency, such as 'blackrock-crypto.net' and 'crypto-blackrock.com.'

Domain registration details reveal that crypto-blackrock.com is owned by an individual whose identity is concealed through Shield Whois. This domain features BlackRock's trademarked name, 'BlackRock,' paired with 'crypto,' tying it to the company's financial offerings. Meanwhile, blackrock-crypto.net is registered to a person named Sergei Iudakov in Moscow, according to the WhoIs report.

BlackRock is working to track down the owners using publicly accessible registration information and aims to reclaim these domains under its ownership, while also seeking monetary damages and court orders to cease further cybersquatting and trademark violations related to its names.