NameBlock is a domain name blocking service: it lets a business block a name, a brand or a keyword so that other people cannot register domain names containing it in participating extensions. Instead of registering and renewing every variation of a brand defensively, the owner places a block, and anyone who later searches for a blocked domain at a registrar is told it is not available. This article explains how domain name blocking works, what the NameBlock services offered through DNAccess cover, and where blocking fits alongside other brand protection measures.
What Domain Name Blocking Is
Domain blocking is a registry-level reservation that prevents a specific label (the part of a domain name before the extension, such as “example” in example.com) from being registered by anyone. The block is held at the registry, the organization that operates an extension, rather than at a single registrar. As a result, it applies no matter which registrar a would-be registrant uses.
The alternative is defensive registration: registering each variation yourself and paying to renew every one of them, every year. That approach works for a handful of names, but it scales poorly as extensions multiply. Brand owners responding to an INTA survey reported spending an average of $150,000 a year on defensive actions and holding an average of 352 defensively registered domains, according to the INTA New gTLD Cost Impact Survey, a 2017 study of 33 respondents that the report itself describes as highly variable. Blocking is designed to cover many extensions without building a portfolio of that size.
Why Brands Block Names Before Someone Else Registers Them
The case for blocking rests on a simple observation: most abusive domains are registered by the abuser, not hacked from a legitimate owner. Interisle Consulting Group found that 77% of the domains used for phishing between May 2024 and April 2025 were maliciously registered rather than compromised, according to its Phishing Landscape 2025 report. If the attacker has to register a name to impersonate you, a block on that name removes the opportunity before it exists.
The gap between brands and the names that resemble them is wide. CSC reported that 80% of homoglyph domains (lookalike names that swap in visually similar characters) resembling Forbes Global 2000 brands are owned by third parties, and that 42% of those third-party domains had mail records in 2024, meaning they were configured to send or receive email, according to the CSC 2024 Domain Security Report. A lookalike domain that can send email is a ready-made tool for invoice fraud and phishing.
How NameBlock Works
NameBlock was founded in 2022 by domain industry veterans who saw a need for a more efficient way for businesses to protect their brands online. The service integrates with domain name registries and registrars. When a business registers a domain at a registrar integrated with NameBlock, it can also choose to block similar domain names. DNAccess also sells NameBlock services directly, so a business does not need to purchase blocking through its registrar.
The owner defines what to protect: a trademark, a product or company name, a proprietary term, or even a personal name. A business does not need to own a registered trademark on a name or keyword phrase to protect domain registrations that include it. Once a block is in place, a registrar search for the blocked domain shows that it is not available. It is not listed as a premium name, it is not offered on the aftermarket, and it is simply not available for registration.
The practical result is that the person attempting the registration is stopped at the point of purchase, and the brand owner does not have to discover the name later and chase it. That saves the time and cost of monitoring for, and then contesting, registrations that never should have happened.
NameBlock Services Offered Through DNAccess
BrandLock
BrandLock blocks domain names that are identical to the Block Label under one or several participating top-level domains. The Block Label must meet certain requirements: for example, it must consist of 3 to 63 characters, it cannot include special characters or be an internationalized domain name (IDN), and it cannot begin or end with a hyphen. A separate BrandLock for Freename offering is also available.
AbuseShield
AbuseShield is a data-driven service that blocks the variants of a domain name most commonly used for abusive purposes. Using an algorithm developed by NameBlock, it identifies and blocks only the variants that would otherwise be used for abuse, rather than every possible combination. Up to 500 variants are generated, consisting of homoglyphs, abuse suffixes (words such as “login” or “support” appended to a brand) and common misspellings.
The two services answer different questions. BrandLock protects the exact name across extensions. AbuseShield protects the near misses that attackers favor. The two can be used together, and the right mix depends on how often a brand is targeted and in which extensions.
What Blocking Does Not Do
A block is preventive. It applies only within the extensions that participate in the service, so the first question to ask is which extensions a given block covers. Coverage varies by product; Markmonitor’s GlobalBlock datasheet, for example, lists domain blocking across 558 extensions, according to the GlobalBlock Datasheet, a vendor figure that changes over time. DNAccess also offers GlobalBlock for brands that want broader coverage.
A block also does not remove domains that someone else registered before the block was placed. Those names require a different remedy, such as a negotiated purchase or a complaint under the UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy) when the registration amounts to cybersquatting. In our experience, the strongest brand protection programs combine the two: enforcement against existing abusive names, and blocking so that new ones cannot appear.
How DNAccess Helps
DNAccess sells NameBlock’s BrandLock and AbuseShield services directly and helps brand owners decide which names, labels and variants to block, which extensions matter for their market, and how blocking fits with monitoring and enforcement. Pricing depends on the labels and coverage you choose, so contact us for a quote. For the wider program, see our online brand protection services.
This article is part of the DNAccess online brand protection guides, which explain how brands defend their names, domains and reputation online.