Lessons Learned from Elastic’s In-House Strategy
Co-authored by: Amanda Branch, Senior Counsel, Elastic and Matthew Mowers, COO and & Shareholder, Quinn IP Law
For leading companies, a domain name is far more than a technical address. It is a proxy for the brand itself—a signal of authenticity, a primary gateway for customers, and one of the most visible assets a business controls online. Protecting domains is therefore not just maintenance; it is central to safeguarding reputation and strengthening brand equity.
At Elastic, we view domain enforcement as an integral part of brand strategy. Each action we take—whether reclaiming a typosquatted domain or shutting down an impersonator—reinforces the fame and distinctiveness of our trademarks and preserves the value we have built worldwide.
These enforcement actions are more than defensive administrative tasks. They are proactive, strategic, and purposeful steps in both protecting our IP in the short term, as well as building brand equity for the long-term.
Monitoring at Global Scale
Globally recognized technology brands can receive thousands of monitoring alerts each year. Some alerts may reflect uses of the brand in everyday commerce or conversation or in online usernames containing the word. These are not infringing uses, but they highlight the breadth of a brand’s monitoring footprint.
As IP Legal Counsel, our task is to ensure that true risks, such as phishing schemes or impersonation attempts, are identified quickly and escalated appropriately. To achieve this, in-house teams must collaborate with other internal stakeholders, such as InfoSec, IT and Marketing, to evaluate alerts and concentrate enforcement where it matters most.
Types of Domain Misuse
From experience, we find that most misuse falls into four categories:
- Partners or licensees – usually well-intentioned but outside of brand guidelines, often resolved through governance or education.
- Speculators – domain holders seeking resale value.
- Impersonators – registrants of deceptively similar names designed to mislead customers or pose as employees.
- Malicious actors – domains tied to fraud, malware, or reputationally harmful activity.
The first two categories can often be managed through discussion, contracts or negotiation. The latter two demand swift, decisive enforcement because they pose direct risks to consumers and to the brand’s reputation.
Future-Proofing the Brand and the Compounding Value of UDRP Wins
One such avenue for enforcement is the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) – a streamlined, cost-effective administrative process for resolving domain name disputes, particularly those involving cybersquatting. Its importance lies in providing a faster and more accessible alternative to traditional court litigation for trademark owners to reclaim domain names that are identical or confusingly similar to their marks and were registered in bad faith. Each successful case goes beyond the recovery of a single domain by creating a published record affirming that your trademarks are consistently used and enforced across jurisdictions, and that confusingly similar registrations by third parties lack legitimacy.
We are proud that Elastic and Elasticsearch have each been recognized by multiple panelists as distinctive, famous and well-known brands. These rulings serve as persuasive evidence in future disputes, support trademark applications worldwide, and reinforce the strength of our mark against dilution. Viewed together, they form a cumulative record that enhances the legal and commercial power of our brand.
Domain Acquisition as a Brand Strategy
As a proactive measure, some companies may attempt to protect themselves by registering every possible variation of their name across hundreds of top-level domains. With the expansion of domain extensions, that approach is costly, complex, and can be ultimately ineffective.
Consider taking a more narrow approach: securing strategic domains—typo variations, key geographies, and industry-specific extensions—while relying on monitoring and enforcement for the rest. This can help ensure protection for the domains that truly matter, without diminishing focus or over-spending your budget.
Enforcement Is a Team Effort
Domain enforcement is a shared responsibility, that needs to be embraced and practiced across the organization:
- Legal directs filings and disputes.
- InfoSec monitors registrations and flags potential threats.
- Marketing & Branding evaluates reputational impact and assesses the value of recovered domains.
- IT manages technical implementation and redirects.
This collaboration ensures that once domains are reclaimed, they are not only neutralized but often repurposed into assets that serve business objectives.
Key Lessons Learned and Best Practices for In-House Counsel
Effective domain enforcement begins with foresight. The strongest programs are designed before problems escalate, with monitoring and escalation frameworks ready to act when issues arise. This proactive posture allows companies to move quickly and with confidence when threats surface.
Focus is equally important. Not every alert requires action, and chasing every possible registration is rarely efficient. The most effective strategies prioritize domains that pose genuine risk—those that could mislead customers, disrupt operations, or cause reputational damage. In this context, each UDRP decision or enforcement outcome becomes more than a tactical success; it is a building block in a long-term strategy that strengthens legal rights and reinforces brand equity globally.
Finally, enforcement works best when approached both selectively and collaboratively. A balanced model combines targeted defensive registrations with enforcement actions, ensuring that resources are used wisely. At the same time, collaboration across all stakeholders in the business ensures that enforcement outcomes deliver value not just legally, but also operationally and reputationally. Together, these lessons make clear that domain enforcement is not a series of isolated disputes but an ongoing investment in brand strength.
Protection, Preservation, Proactivity, and Partnership
For Elastic, domain enforcement has evolved into a strategic discipline that supports our global business objectives. By combining proactive monitoring, selective registrations, and decisive enforcement, we protect customers from harm, preserve the clarity of our online presence, and reinforce the commercial power of our trademarks. Over time, this approach has proven to deliver more than individual victories—it has built a durable foundation that enhances the resilience of the brand in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
