Nine-in-10 (91%) senior legal professionals are concerned about the threat of online intellectual property (IP) infringement, according to new research commissioned by CSC, the leading provider of global business administration and compliance solutions.While 85% report an increase in IP infringements at their firms over the past 12 months, 90% are expecting more in the year ahead with 89% predicting continued escalation over the next three years.
While the most common forms of IP infringement are rated as counterfeiting, trademark abuse, and brand impersonation, all of which can erode consumer trust and inflict long-term financial and reputation damage, the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) looms large—88% say AI-enabled systems are driving an increase in infringement activity, and 93% are concerned that AI-generated fake assets such as logos, images, and content could materially harm their business.
The findings come from CSC’s latest study, “IP Frontiers Report 2025: Proactive Security Against IP Infringement,” that surveyed 300 senior legal, compliance, and IP professionals in Europe including the U.K., Asia Pacific, and North America.
“With how much commerce and communication takes place online, a brand’s reputation is built on its online presence and guarding it is a responsibility companies should take seriously,” says Ihab Shraim, chief technology officer, CSC’s Digital Brand Services division. “There’s a massive influx of sophisticated threat vectors targeting corporations, and the easiest targets are domain names and IP. In the past, fraudsters would send hundreds of thousands of phishing emails hoping that 2% or 3% would respond. Today, fraudulent activity is more targeted and comes with a much higher rate of success, particularly as AI quickly becomes a major accelerant.”
CSC’s study also finds that fake domain names are often the first step in large-scale infringement campaigns. Although 76% of organizations have a domain management strategy in place, only 16% of legal teams have total visibility into how their portfolios are managed—creating oversights that leave brands exposed to fraud, phishing, and impersonation.
Many firms are adapting to these threats, with partnerships with third-party specialists playing a growing role. Two-thirds (67%) of respondents say they expect significant increases in brand protection and IP enforcement budgets over the next three years, and more than half (56%) say they already outsource some of their monitoring efforts—a trend expected to rise as organizations seek more advanced tools and faster takedown mechanisms.
“The ability for fraudsters to carry out IP infringements is iterating at such a pace that it will be to everyone’s benefit to be more aware of what’s happening, to be more security minded, and to foster stronger collaboration among internal teams and external specialists,” says Ian McConnel, chief legal officer at CSC. “Like it or not, domain management is a key part of cybersecurity strategies, not just protecting your crown jewel domain names.
“Reactive defenses are no longer enough. Fraudsters exploit low-cost, fast-moving tools to impersonate brands at scale. As AI adoption expands the avenues for infringement, companies that adopt proactive, multi-layered protection—integrating legal, IT, and security teams, and partnering with trusted corporate registrars—will be best positioned to safeguard brand reputation in the AI era.”
