DPML (Domains Protected Mark List) and EPS (Extended Protection Service) are solutions provided by 3 companies that operate a bouquet of new domain extensions that block access to domain registrations of terms that you hold a trademark on. Trademark Sentry Unlimited Name Blocking Service is a similar offering from .CLUB, while AdultBlock is a similar service that protects brands on extensions such as .sex, .porn etc. that are run by the ICM registry. All these programs are highly cost-effective as compared to defensive domain registrations and offer peace of mind to your brand and legal teams.
Defensive domain registrations and monitoring to detect cybersquatting can be tricky on the web today. With domain extensions such as .REVIEWS to adult extensions such as .PORN or .XXX or potentially damaging ones such as .FAIL available for anyone to register, our portfolio of Brand Protection products simplify your efforts to defend your brand.
Brand Protection programs allow you to block third parties from registering your trademarks as domain names in selected TLDs.
Versatile and
EasyProtects your brand name, trademarks and keywords containing your marks.
Comprehensive
SolutionDefends your brand across 300+ domain extensions from 4 registries.
Affordability at
ScaleDefend your brand from infringement, at a fraction of the cost (of standard defensive registrations).
How Brand Protection Works
- Provide us with your list of trademarks and marks protected filed with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH). If you haven’t done that yet, we can help you validate your trademarks with TMCH. Note: AdultBlock programs now accept unregistered trademarks, celebrity names and more. Read our FAQ for details.
- Review the Brand Protection programs below and contact us for a consultation
- We will contact you for verifying your trademark and advise you on fees and next steps
- Domain names containing the protected marks are made unavailable for registration for 5 or 10 years†
- Sit back & relax, your brand and trademarks are protected online in each of the domain extensions covered in your selected program

Brand Protection Programs and Options
Registry program | # of covered extensions | Misspelling protection | Homonym protection | Premium names covered | Min. Term |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DPML — Identity Digital | 308 | 0 | 1 year | ||
DPML Plus — Identity Digital | 308 | 3* | 1 year | ||
EPS — Uni Registry | 10 | SMD* | 1 year | ||
EPS Plus — Uni Registry | 10 | SMD* | 1 year | ||
Trademark Sentry — .CLUB | 1 | Extra fee | 5 years | ||
AdultBlock — ICM Registry | 4 | 1, 3, 5 or 10 years | |||
AdultBlock+ — ICM Registry | 4 | 1, 3, 5 or 10 years |
*SMD – Misspellings covered in the Trademark Clearinghouse Signed Mark Data (SMD) file are protected.
Note: 1. Each brand protection program covers its own range of domain extensions and none of them is a replacement for another.
2. Sunrise B protection on .XXX domains from 2011 expires in December 2021. AdultBlock is a solution to help brands continue to protect labels covered under Sunrise B across 4 adult domain extensions. Learn more about AdultBlock.
3. The 262 extensions protected by DPML includes some extensions in languages that use non-ASCII characters and are not included on this page. This count also includes some 3rd level .PRO subzones not listed here. Please contact us for the latest list of covered extensions.
Protect Your Brand
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Domains Protected by DPML
Frequently Asked Questions
When you register your protected marks as actual domains, you pay the full price for each unique domain name and if you wish to cover related terms such as typos, homonyms etc. you will need to invest in each of the additional domain registrations across all the TLDs. You can use each of these registrations to direct them to the same or separate website of your choice. With Brand Protection programs, all the trademarks that you wish to protect are blocked for everyone on the internet, and you will not be able to use the names unless you request an override.
The Domains Protected Marks List or DPML is a rights protection mechanism introduced by Identity Digital, the company which operates the highest number of new top-level domain applications. AdultBlock, Trademark Sentry & EPS are similar (but not identical) services provided by the ICM Registry, .CLUB, and Uni respectively.
In order to qualify for the DPML, your trademark must be validated through the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) and you must present the Signed Mark Data (SMD) file demonstrating your trademark’s proof of use. DPML Blocks may be revoked should the corresponding TMCH enrollment be allowed to expire.
Comprehensive The DPML allows you to protect your brand and trademark across all the different gTLDs or new domain extensions applied for by Identity Digital. This prevents your competitors and from infringing and registering domain names that contain your trademark.
Control and Flexibility The DPML blocks domain registrations that contain or directly match your trademark, unless the domain is secured during the Sunrise Period. While these domains are blocked, you still retain control over the usage of these domains by purchasing domain overrides.
Simple The minimum term of an initial DPML submission is 5 years. During this time, all domains that are covered by your DPML block are protected, thus eliminating the need for administrative and maintenance costs of these domains.
Affordable The DPML is a cost-effective solution against trademark infringement. Traditional domain dispute cases were resolved by submitting a Unified Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and fees for each complaint ranged from $1000 to $2000; this means that for every domain in contention, separate fees need to be paid.
An alternative option to the UDRP is to register all domain names that contain a brand’s keywords and variations of it. This is an expensive option, especially for organizations with massive domain portfolios.
As it is anticipated that Identity Digital will have in excess of 200 domain extensions approved, protecting your trademark and brand can cost you as little as $3.00 per domain per year, making it an affordable trademark protection mechanism.
Aside from the trademark validation prerequisite, trademarks submitted must be an exact match or contain the exact match of your trademarks.
- 1) One to two letter characters are not permitted; and
- 2) Three character DPML terms are only accepted if they are an exact match of the trademark submitted
Trademark | DPML Trademark Term | Is Term DPML Valid | Reason |
---|---|---|---|
Webnames | Webnames | Yes | DPML term is exact match of trademark |
Webnames | MyWebnames | Yes | DPML contains the trademark term |
Webnames | WebnamesEmail | Yes | DPML contains the trademark term |
ABC | ABC | Yes | DPML term is exact match of trademark |
ABC | ABCservices | No | DPML term not eligible for a “contains” DPML |
AB | ABservices | No | Trademark fewer than four character in length |
A | AServices | No | Trademark fewer than four character in length |
Webnames | W3bnames | No | DPML term is a misspelling that does not contain an exact match of the trademark |
Webnames | Websnames | No | The term contains an extra “s” and does not contain an exact match of the trademark |
As you may have noticed, we have 5 separate brand protection programs listed above, if you sign up for all of them your brand will be covered across their entire portfolio of 317 (262+40+15) domain extensions. Please note that your brand could potentially still be vulnerable on other domain extensions which are not included under this program and we recommend that you register domain names for the others.
A trademark owner purchasing a DPML block may select only one label listed in a SMD file. All labels in the SMD file are not automatically blocked by one DPML subscription.
For example, the SMD file for a company called “Trade & Mark” may contain three variants:
- TradeandMark
- Trade-and-mark
- Trade-mark
In the example above, Trade & Mark will need to purchase three DPML blocks to cover all of the labels they own.
When you submit your trademark to the DPML, any domains that either match or contain your trademark are effectively blocked off. If you were the one who applied for that DPML block, only you will be able to manage those restrictions. This effectively blocks any party from registering any domains that contain or match your trademark.
Domain names that have already been registered (i.e. by another Trademark owner) will remain unblocked. The only way to block or claim the domain name is if it expires and is not renewed.
You can unlock specific domain names that your organization wants to use by submitting a domain override with your TMCH validated trademark and SMD file. The override can be submitted at any point in time, as long as your DPML submission is still active.
Please note that you will have to pay an override fee plus the domain’s registration fee to override a domain block.
The DPML itself isn’t a domain registration but protects your brand across all the domain extensions operated by Identity Digital. The blocked domains will not result in a Domain Name that resolves on the public Internet, but will be published in the WHOIS database and provide information about the DPML Block Holder. The DPML also protects keywords that contain your trademark; in other words, domains that MATCH or CONTAIN your trademark are protected.
The Sunrise period allows trademark holders that have successfully validated their trademarks through the TMCH to register individual and fully operational names that MATCH the labels in their SMD file.
During this time, you may register exact matches to your trademark, even if they have been previously “blocked” by another party’s DPML registration.
To ensure that your brand and trademarks are protected, we recommend participating during the Sunrise Periods of domains that you feel are most at risk.
When you submit your trademark to the DPML, any domains that either match or contain your trademark are effectively blocked off. If you were the one who applied for that DPML block, only you will be able to manage those restrictions. This effectively blocks any party from registering any domains that contain or match your trademark.
Domain names that have already been registered (i.e. by another Trademark owner) will remain unblocked. The only way to block or claim the domain name is if it expires and is not renewed.
The trademark requirements for AdultBlock Services were expanded in mid-May 2021 to accept the following types of trademarks:
- Registered Trademarks: Nationally or Regionally registered trademarks that are in force at the date the application is examined
- Unregistered Trademarks: A mark created by a business or individual to signify or distinguish a product or service. In some jurisdictions/countries, unregistered trademarks are also referred to as common law trademarks
- Company/Organization Name: Registered Companies as well as “Trading As” or “Doing Business As” names are eligible for the AdultBlock service
- Celebrity Name: Famous persons, sports stars and personalities, political figures, actors, social media celebrities, and public figures
For unregistered trademarks, celebrity names and other extended marks that are treated at par with trademarks for AdultBlock, Webnames will use an expert third-party verification agent to enable you to protect your brand. Contact us, to get started.
† Protection level refers to the variants of DPML or similar plans offered by each registry. Some plans cover Premium Domains, Homonyms and Misspellings as part of select program variants. Plan variants can also span between 5 to 10 years. Complete details on DPML and analogous plans will be shared with you upon receiving your inquiry.