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Home Blog Domains & Hosting​ Domains What Is GlobalBlock and Do I Need It? 
GlobalBlock securing brands from domain misuse worldwide.
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What Is GlobalBlock and Do I Need It? 

Key takeaways:

  • GlobalBlock provides proactive protection across 600+ domain extensions before misuse occurs. 
  • It replaces costly renewals and reactive legal enforcement with one automated system. 
  • Designed for brand owners and trademark holders, GlobalBlock reduces legal risks, simplifies domain management, and keeps digital identities consistent across the web. 

Every brand faces the same risk when it comes to domains: unauthorized parties registering their name online. According to the IBM 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report, U.S. businesses lost an average of $4.44 million to data breaches in 2024, a reminder that online threats can be extremely costly when brand protection isn’t prioritized.  

While trademarks help protect ownership rights, they can’t always prevent others from misusing your name online. Even one fake domain perceived to be under your brand can trick customers and damage your reputation. That’s why proactive protection is always worth the investment. 

GlobalBlock stops domain misuse before it even starts by adding a smarter layer of brand protection. Forget about buying countless domains or fixing problems after they happen. GlobalBlock can protect your brand online across hundreds of domain extensions and can reclaim domain names automatically through Priority AutoCatch. 

So, if your business manages multiple brands or trademarked domains, this level of control helps you stay protected and confident as you grow. 

Protect your trademarks with GlobalBlock’s 600+ domain coverage.

What is domain blocking?

Domain blocking prevents illegitimate users from registering domains identical to your registered or unregistered trademarks across multiple domain extensions. It’s a brand protection strategy that keeps your brand safe from cybersquatters, impersonators, and competitors without the need to register every possible name variation. 

Before blocking solutions existed, brands relied on costly defensive registrations to protect their names online. Today, blocking services reserve your brand label directly at the registry level so outsiders can’t claim it. As online risks continue to grow, domain blocking now plays a key role in modern portfolio strategies with broader, faster, and more cost-efficient protection for brand and trademark owners like you. 

What is GlobalBlock? 

GlobalBlock is a domain blocking service that protects your brand name across several domain extensions at once, so others can’t register your name as a domain.  

It makes domain blocking smarter and easier through automation and full coverage. The best part is that you don’t need to renew all your domains manually.  

Through the Brand Safety Alliance, GlobalBlock connects leading registry operators under a unified system of trusted oversight and transparency. This structure reduces the time, cost, and complexity of managing domain portfolios while keeping your brand protected across its entire digital footprint. 

With GlobalBlock, you can: 

  • Prevent misuse of your brand name within an extensive range of domain extensions. 
  • Reclaim eligible domains automatically through Priority AutoCatch once they become available. 
  • Simplify renewals and reporting through centralized portfolio management. 
  • Reduce long-term costs tied to monitoring, renewals, and enforcement actions. 

GlobalBlock offers two levels of protection: 

GlobalBlock 

The standard level of protection that covers exact-match domain blocking across participating registries. It restricts the registration of verified labels by third parties and includes eligible premium domain names. This option is ideal for brands seeking consistent protection across their verified marks. 

GlobalBlock+ 

An enhanced version that extends protection to look-alike variations often used in scams or impersonation attempts. It blocks homographs and typographical variations to prevent confusingly similar versions of your trademarks from being registered. This tier suits brands facing higher imitation risks or managing large domain portfolios. 

Why GlobalBlock matters in domain management and brand protection 

Online risks continue to grow as cybersquatting, phishing, and impersonation techniques become more sophisticated. These threats don’t just target major corporations, but also small and mid-sized businesses with trusted names and customer followings. 

What’s changing today is the scale and speed of these attacks. With hundreds of new domain extensions available, fraudsters can now imitate brands almost instantly. And this not only causes confusion but also weakens consumer trust. As these risks continue to spread, managing them requires stronger, proactive protection across every domain. 

That’s why next-level brand protection has never been more important. GlobalBlock helps fill that gap by securing trademarks and domain names before problems start. 

How does GlobalBlock work? 

GlobalBlock tells partner registries to block unauthorized people from registering your protected labels. First, you select your plan — either GlobalBlock or GlobalBlock+. Then, the block goes live across hundreds of TLDs. With unlimited blocking available in select registries, you get wider protection that covers multiple variations of your brand. 

If a matching domain is already taken, Priority AutoCatch picks it up for you when it expires. GlobalBlock typically provides coverage to both new and legacy TLDs, with limited exceptions depending on registry support. 

Step-by-step visual showing how GlobalBlock works.

Imagine a small clothing label called Bean & Co. Without protection, someone could buy beanandco.shop or bean-co.store and use it to sell counterfeit items. 

But if the brand activates GlobalBlock, all those look-alike domains across hundreds of extensions are instantly blocked from registration. Later, when beanandco.online expires, Priority AutoCatch captures it automatically while keeping Bean & Co.’s name safe without extra work. 

Network Solutions brand protection specialist ready to help secure your business.

Benefits of GlobalBlock 

GlobalBlock provides a smarter, more unified way to protect brands across domains and registries. As a domain name blocking service, it delivers broad coverage, centralized management, and automation that helps reduce the long-term cost of domain protection 

Here’s how GlobalBlock helps businesses stay protected and in control: 

  • Unified and direct protection 
  • Broad and growing TLD coverage 
  • Priority AutoCatch recovery 
  • Cost-efficient management 
  • Flexible domain blocking with trusted support 
  • Domain unblocking when you need it 

Unified and direct protection 

Instead of registering domains one by one, GlobalBlock lets you block registered trademarks, premium names, and celebrity names under one centralized system. This gives your brand consistent protection across multiple registries without manual work. 

Broad and growing TLD coverage 

GlobalBlock currently covers hundreds of participating TLDs, including legacy extensions like .biz, .co, .info, and .io, with more being added through the Brand Safety Alliance. This expanding network offers brands wide, reliable protection.

Priority AutoCatch recovery 

When one of your brand domains expires, Priority AutoCatch automatically secures it before others can. It monitors your expiring domains and takes them back instantly to protect ownership without extra fees. 

Cost-efficient management 

You don’t have to worry about chasing renewals or juggling invoices. GlobalBlock rolls everything into one annual plan, which keeps your budget predictable and protection strategy hassle-free. 

Flexible domain blocking with trusted support 

GlobalBlock gives you the flexibility to block and release verified domains for campaigns or launches without losing protection. And with the support from Identity Digital and the Brand Safety Alliance, you can trust that your domains are protected and your data stays secure. 

Domain unblocking when you need it 

If you’ve blocked a domain but later decide to use it for your business, GlobalBlock’s Domain Unblock service lets you easily submit a request and regain access. It’s a simple way to stay in control without compromising your overall protection. 

Looking at the bigger picture, GlobalBlock covers key areas of domain protection. But still, it helps to know where its coverage stops and what its limits are before you commit to it. 

Considerations for GlobalBlock 

Keep in mind these factors before you subscribe to GlobalBlock to set the right expectations about what the service can and can’t do.  

  • Protection limited to unregistered domains 
  • Blocks only exact matches and homoglyphs 
  • No coverage for .com domains 
  • Partial global coverage 
  • Higher cost for small brands 

Protection limited to unregistered domains 

GlobalBlock only works for domain names that are available at the time of activation. 

If someone already owns your brand name in a certain extension, the block won’t apply until that domain expires and becomes available again. The Priority AutoCatch feature can then automatically add it to your block once it’s released. 

Blocks only exact matches and homoglyphs 

The service focuses on protecting your brand name in its exact form or visually similar characters (like swapping “o” for “0”). It doesn’t block other variations, such as added words, prefixes, or generic terms like “mybrandstore.biz” or “mybrandshop.biz.” 

No coverage for .com domains 

GlobalBlock doesn’t extend protection to .com domains, which are often the most targeted by bad actors. You’ll still need to register or manage your .com names separately to prevent misuse. 

Partial global coverage 

While GlobalBlock connects with more than 40 domain registries, it doesn’t include every TLD on the web. Coverage may expand or change as new registries join or leave the Brand Safety Alliance, meaning some country or niche extensions might not be included. 

Higher cost for small brands 

Although it’s more affordable than buying hundreds of defensive registrations, GlobalBlock’s annual fee can still be a considerable expense for smaller businesses or brands with limited online presence. It’s most cost-effective for organizations managing large domain portfolios or high-value trademarks. 

Nonetheless, even with a few limitations, GlobalBlock remains a smart choice for brands that prioritize online protection. 

Network Solutions brand protection specialist ready to help secure your business.

The value of GlobalBlock for long-term brand protection 

Brand protection can get pricey and unpredictable. GlobalBlock simplifies that with one yearly plan that covers your domains. You get a single service that handles blocking for you, so you don’t have to worry about disputes or monitor every registration yourself. 

This setup makes domain management easier and more consistent. It not only keeps your protection costs steady each year but also gives you peace of mind knowing your brand is safe. 

To put things in perspective, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) handled over 6,100 domain name disputes in 2024, the second-highest number ever recorded. Each case costs around $1,500 to file, not to mention the legal fees or time you might lose dealing with it.

But you don’t have to go through all that trouble if you have GlobalBlock’s advanced protection.. 

GlobalBlock vs. defensive registration vs. post-enforcement recovery

There are two common ways brands try to avoid domain disputes and brand impersonations: defensive registration and post-enforcement recovery. Both approaches can work, but they’re often time-consuming, expensive, and reactive. 

The GlobalBlock service takes a more strategic path, and here’s how the three approaches compare. 

Factor GlobalBlock Defensive registration Post-enforcement recovery 
Approach Proactive. Blocks your verified labels before others can register them. Reactive. Requires manually registering names one by one. Reactive. Involves reclaiming domains after misuse or abuse. 
Scope of protection Covers 600+ TLDs, including legacy TLDs and new extensions. Limited to specific TLDs you purchase individually. Depends on dispute success; protection isn’t guaranteed. 
Cost predictability Fixed annual pricing that scales with your coverage level. High renewal fees across many domains. High and unpredictable (UDRP filings, legal fees, lost traffic). 
Management effort Automated through registry-level blocking. Requires ongoing renewals and portfolio tracking. Demands legal filings and follow-up with registrars. 
Speed of protection Instant activation. Domains are blocked immediately. Slower. Each registration must be processed separately. Slowest. Enforcement can take weeks or months. 
Risk of brand misuse Prevents cybersquatting, impersonation, and phishing attempts. Reduces risk only where domains are purchased. Responds after brand damage occurs. 
Long-term ROI Lower total cost of ownership and less administrative burden. High maintenance with limited scalability. Costly, reactive, and resource-heavy. 

With all these considered, it only means one thing: when you register GlobalBlock, you strengthen your brand’s protection and stay ahead of potential threats. 

Who needs GlobalBlock 

If you’re asking, “do I need GlobalBlock?”, the answer depends on how much your business relies on its digital reputation and online assets. 

GlobalBlock works best for:

  • Brands and organizations that manage not only domain names, but also trademarks, products, and names tied to their intellectual property. 
  • Enterprises and professionals who want protection beyond traditional registration through a unified domain blocking service. 
  • Public figures such as athletes, politicians, or actors who need to safeguard their names from impersonation.
  • Verified trademark holders and brand owners managing large domain portfolios across multiple extensions. 
  • Company or organization names and geographical indicators recognized under international agreements. 
  • Businesses growing online that rely on customer trust, reputation, and brand consistency. 

Frequently asked questions 

Isn’t my registered trademark enough to protect my brand online? 

A registered trademark gives you legal rights, but it doesn’t automatically stop someone from registering a domain name that matches or mimics your brand. You’d still need to file a dispute or take legal action, which can be costly and time-consuming. GlobalBlock helps prevent this from happening in the first place. 

What’s the difference between GlobalBlock and a trademark dispute? 

GlobalBlock is proactive. It blocks domains before they’re registered by someone else. A trademark dispute is reactive such that you only act after someone has already misused your brand. Disputes can cost $1,500 or more per case, not including legal fees or lost business. GlobalBlock helps you avoid those costs entirely. 

Who manages the GlobalBlock domain blocking service? 

The GlobalBlock domain blocking service is developed by the Brand Safety Alliance and supported by trusted registry partners, including Identity Digital. Network Solutions offers GlobalBlock as part of its brand protection and domain management solutions to create a secure, centralized system that prevents unauthorized domain registrations. 

What does “blocking domain” mean? 

“Blocking domain” means preventing a domain name from being registered, used, or misused without permission. For brand protection, this process helps stop cybersquatters or scammers from claiming names tied to your trademark or business. GlobalBlock uses direct blocking across multiple registries to keep protected names, including legacy gTLDs and newer domains, unavailable to unauthorized parties. 

What is a global block list? 

A global block list is a centralized list of domains, IP addresses, or email sources that are flagged for spam, abuse, or malicious activity. In domain protection, it helps identify and stop bad actors from registering or misusing names linked to trademarks or trusted brands. Tools like GlobalBlock use proactive, registry-level blocking across multiple registries to keep these threats off the market and protect applicable rights holders. 

What is an example of a homograph domain? 

A homograph domain is a web address that looks identical to a legitimate one but uses characters from different alphabets to deceive users. For example, gooogle.com mimics google.com, while paypa1.com replaces the letter ‘l’ with the number ‘1’. These deceptive domains are often registered by multiple parties across different registration periods to make them harder to trace. Checking the WHOIS database can help identify the true registrant and prevent brand misuse before it spreads. 

Do I still need GlobalBlock if I already own my .com domain? 

Yes. Owning your .com is a great start, but it doesn’t stop others from registering your brand on other extensions like .shop, .store, or .online. GlobalBlock helps you protect your name across hundreds of these extensions automatically. 

Secure your registered trademarks today 

Protecting your brand doesn’t stop at registration. With GlobalBlock, you can strengthen control of your digital assets, prevent domain misuse, and manage your portfolio with confidence across every extension. 

Call Network Solutions at 1-888-642-4665 to speak with a brand protection expert and learn how GlobalBlock keeps your business secure and visible online. 

Network Solutions brand protection specialist ready to help secure your business.

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