New CSC Report Finds Heightened Concern for IP Infringement as Expanding Domain Ecosystems Increase Operational Pressure

WILMINGTON, Del. – CSC today released its new The State of Online IP Risk 2026 report examining how senior executives specializing in intellectual property (IP) law are responding to growing online infringement risks and preparing for the expansion of the domain namespace.

CSC surveyed 300 senior executives specializing in IP law—including general counsels, chief legal officers, and chief technology officers—in Q2 2026. This research is timely following the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s latest round of generic top-level domain (gTLD) applications, which closed on August 12, 2026. As new gTLDs are reviewed and potentially approved, organizations will have increased domain space on the internet; at the same time, they will have a broader ecosystem of domains that require management and protection.

Key findings from the report include:

• Impersonation, phishing, and domain name abuse rank among the most concerning types of online IP infringements.

• Twenty-seven percent of respondents have seen a “significant” increase in the number of IP infringements over the past 12 months.

• Nearly three-quarters name slow enforcement processes as their top operational challenge when managing IP infringements.

• Over a quarter use AI extensively to support IP protection, while 70% use it moderately.

• Most respondents said they outsource up to half of infringement monitoring activities to specialist third parties.

To learn more about how the IP landscape is evolving in 2026, download CSC’s The State of Online IP Risk 2026 report.

Read the full press release.