The online environment gets a little more complicated

For the final set of results, we combined the data received from corporate and law firm respondents to obtain a 360-degree view of the online enforcement landscape. One major development over the past year has been the EU General Data Protection Regulation becoming enforceable – resulting in reduced access to WHOIS data.

Unsurprisingly, this has had a tangible impact on enforcement efforts – with two-thirds of respondents stating that such efforts have become more difficult. Coupled with the finding that half of respondents had engaged in increased levels of online enforcement over the previous 12 months, it is clear that the online environment is taking up more budget, time and effort. That is a trend that shows no sign of slowing.  

On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate these social media platforms in terms of the challenge posed when protecting your clients’ brand(s)? (With 5 being a significant challenge and 1 being no challenge)

On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate these online stores/marketplaces in terms of the challenge posed when protecting your clients’ brand(s)? (With 5 being a significant challenge and 1 being no challenge)

Over the past year, has the level of online enforcement activity in which you have engaged:

Have you spent more on defensive registrations/enforcement in domain names in the past 12 months?

Has the inability to get WHOIS/domain registrant data, due to the adoption of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, affected your enforcement work?

On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the priority of your online enforcement in these areas? (With 5 being high priority and 1 being low priority)