Domain Hijacking

A domain name is often the single most valuable digital asset a business owns — and one of the most vulnerable.

Domain hijacking occurs when an attacker gains unauthorized control of a domain by compromising the registrant’s email or registrar account (frequently through phishing or a SIM-swap that defeats two-factor authentication), by social-engineering the registrar, or by exploiting weak transfer-authorization controls.

Once a domain is hijacked, the attacker can redirect traffic, intercept email, impersonate the business, hold the domain for ransom, or quietly transfer it to a registrar in another country to frustrate recovery.

Intellectual Property Theft

When trademarks, copyrighted works, proprietary code, or trade secrets are stolen or infringed, the value built into those assets can be eroded in days.

We enforce and recover across the full range of IP:

• Trademark infringement and counterfeiting — unauthorized use of brands, logos, and marks, including lookalike domains and counterfeit storefronts, under the Lanham Act
• Copyright infringement — unauthorized copying or distribution of content, software, and creative works, including DMCA takedown enforcement and litigation under the Copyright Act
• Trade-secret misappropriation — theft of proprietary information by insiders, competitors, or hackers, under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), 18 U.S.C. § 1836 and state law
• Brand impersonation and phishing sites — fraudulent websites and social accounts exploiting a client’s brand to defraud customers

Likeness Misappropriation & Deepfakes

A person’s name, image, voice, and likeness carry real commercial and reputational value — and emerging technology has made them easier than ever to steal.

We represent clients whose identity has been exploited without consent, including:

• Unauthorized commercial use of a name, photograph, or likeness in advertising or endorsement
• AI-generated deepfakes — synthetic images, video, or voice used to impersonate a client for fraud, endorsement, or harassment
• Voice cloning used to defraud third parties or impersonate executives and public figures
• Fake endorsements and impersonation accounts falsely associating a client with a product, project, or scam — a recurring problem in the crypto and investment space

Why These Cases Require Fast Action

• Control equals leverage. A hijacked domain or live infringing site causes ongoing harm every hour it remains active — recovery and takedown are urgent, not deliberate.
• Evidence is perishable. Registrar logs, WHOIS history, server records, and cached pages disappear or are altered quickly; preserving them early is essential.
• Offshore transfers frustrate recovery. Hijacked domains are often moved to foreign registrars specifically to complicate recovery — moving before that happens matters.
• Deepfakes spread faster than they can be removed. Synthetic media and impersonation accounts replicate across platforms; early, coordinated enforcement limits the damage.

Contact Us

If your domain has been hijacked, your brand or intellectual property is being infringed, or your name, image, or likeness is being used without authorization — including through AI-generated deepfakes — contact us at info@dilendorf.com or 212.457.9797 for a confidential consultation.

The faster we act, the more we can recover and the more harm we can stop.

Government & Regulatory Resources

• ICANN — Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP)
• ICANN — Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy (TDRP)
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
• U.S. Copyright Office — DMCA
• Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act — 15 U.S.C. § 1125(d)
• Defend Trade Secrets Act — 18 U.S.C. § 1836
• FTC — Trademark, Brand, and Impersonation Resources
• FBI IC3 — Internet Crime Complaint Center