Almost certainly not. If you receive an email telling you that your brand or trademark is being registered in China, it is almost certainly a hoax or a scam. The Chinese domain name scam changes over time but is usually similar. Unless the CNNIC or an accredited registrar approaches you, be careful not to respond to any unsolicited email regarding your company or trade name. This hoax has been going on since about 2008, and we received another one today.
The best way to beat scammers or criminals is through awareness and information.
One example of the China domain name registration hoax
Perhaps you have also received the email, or perhaps you will. It is an email from the "department of registration service in China", along the lines of:
"… We formally received an application on July 25th, 2026. One company "" are applying to register "" as an internet brand and CN domain names as below:"
Several domains are then listed for your company or trade name for example .asia, .cn, .com.cn, .net.cn, .org.cn etc.
The email then continues to say: "After our initial examination, we found that the internet brand applied for registration is the same as your company's name and trademark. … If your company and this"[name of company]"is the same company, there is no need reply to us. We will accept their application and will register those for them immediately. If your company has no relationships with that company nor do not authorized, please reply to us within 7 work days, if we can't get any information from yours over 7 workdays, we will unconditionally approve the application submitted by "[name of company]."
It looks very believable. But don't be fooled – it is a hoax. The email should be considered with caution, and we suggest that you ignore and delete it without replying.
Who registers domains in China?
The China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) is solely responsible for the operation and registration of <.cn> domain names. Registrants:
- may only make use of companies accredited by the CNNIC, "Accredited Registrars", to register domain names; and
- must register domain names in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the CNNIC in various rules and regulations like the China Internet Domain Name Regulations and the CNNIC Implementing Rules of Domain Name Registrations.
In short, a <.cn> domain name Registrant must:
- Sign a registration agreement with an Accredited Registrar;
- Complete and submit the application form for domain registrations (which includes providing certain information like the name of the domain and certain personal information on the Registrant) to the CNNIC.
The CNNIC Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy applies to Chinese domain name disputes. Contact us if you end up in a dispute and need assistance. We can also assist you in checking the availability of a domain name. If the domain name that you want is already taken, please read our post called I want that domain name.
