brand-protection▌
kostja94/marketing-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026
MDX-style export adds YAML metadata + attribution linking explainx.ai and this canonical listing URL.
Guides discovery, reporting, and prevention of brand impersonation—fake websites, phishing sites, trademark infringement, and domain squatting. See domain-selection for defensive domain registration; trust-badges for official site verification signals; about-page for identity declaration.
Strategy: Brand Protection
Guides discovery, reporting, and prevention of brand impersonation—fake websites, phishing sites, trademark infringement, and domain squatting. See domain-selection for defensive domain registration; trust-badges for official site verification signals; about-page for identity declaration.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for brand name, official domain, and key assets.
Identify:
- Impersonation type: Fake website, phishing, trademark misuse, domain squatting
- Evidence available: Screenshots, URLs, WHOIS, hosting info
- Legal assets: Registered trademark, copyright ownership
- Impact: Traffic interception (fake site ranks for brand queries)? Payment fraud (users pay on fake site, then contact official support)?
Evidence Collection Checklist
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| Full URLs | Document all key pages of the fake site |
| Screenshots | Homepage, product pages, logo, layout; include date/time |
| Comparison | Side-by-side: official vs fake (layout, logo, copy similarity) |
| WHOIS | Use ICANN Lookup for registrar, creation date, registrant |
| Hosting | IP lookup to identify hosting provider |
Reporting Channels (Priority Order)
| Channel | Entry | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Domain registrar | Abuse / Report Misuse on registrar site | Brand impersonation, trademark, fraud |
| Hosting provider | Same; submit abuse form | Hosting infringing content |
| Google Safe Browsing | Report Phishing | Phishing / impersonation risk |
| Google Trademark | Trademark Complaint or [email protected] | Trademark infringement in search; requires registered trademark |
| Bing Content Removal | Content Moderation Platform | Copyright/trademark; content removal from Bing |
| Payment processors | PayPal Resolution Center, Stripe support | If fake site accepts payments; report fraud |
| Social platforms | X, Facebook, Instagram abuse forms | If fake site is promoted or linked there |
| Google Ads / Microsoft Ads | Platform trademark complaint forms | If impersonator runs brand ads |
| DMCA | To hosting provider | Copyright infringement; images, copy, design copied |
| ICANN | DNS Abuse complaint | If registrar does not respond within reasonable time |
Report content: Include full URL, clear description of fraudulent activity, and all evidence (screenshots, logs).
Reporting Best Practices
Registrar vs hosting: Use ICANN Lookup for registrar. For hosting, use IP lookup (HostingCheckerOnline, HostingDetector, ipinfo.io) to find origin server—registrar may be Cloudflare while origin host is elsewhere; report to both.
Cloudflare as registrar: Use abuse.cloudflare.com or abuse form; select "Phishing & Malware" for impersonation. Email complaints are generally not processed; use the online form. Provide specific URLs of infringing pages.
Hosting detection: Sites behind Cloudflare CDN hide origin IP. Use reverse IP lookup or hosting detection tools to identify underlying host; submit abuse to that provider as well.
Parallel reporting: Submit to registrar, host, and Google Safe Browsing simultaneously; do not wait for one before others. Google trademark review takes 1–8 weeks.
Legal Options
| Option | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cease and desist | Trademark infringement | Lawyer-drafted; often first step |
| DMCA takedown | Copyrighted material copied | Images, copy, design; hosting providers typically comply |
| Consumer protection | Scam / fraud | FTC ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US) |
| Law enforcement | Financial loss, identity theft | IC3 (FBI) for cybercrime |
Prevention Measures
Defensive Registration
- Register brand+ai, brand+app, brand+official, etc. See domain-selection for defensive registration.
- Redirect variants to main domain; do not deploy separate sites.
Official Site Verification
Place "Official website: [domain]" prominently:
- Homepage (above fold or hero)
- Sign-in / Sign-up pages
- Pricing / Payment pages: "Only pay at [official-domain]. Do not enter payment on other domains."
- Footer: "© [Brand]. Official site: [domain]"
- FAQ: "How do I verify I'm on the official site?" → "The only official URL is [domain]. Any other domain is not affiliated."
Use trust-badges for verification signals. See about-page for identity declaration.
Customer Support (Payment Fraud)
When users report "can't use after payment" but no record exists—likely paid on fake site:
- Verify source: Ask which URL they used (request screenshot or URL).
- Response template: Explain that the only official site is [official-domain]; if they paid elsewhere, that site is not affiliated. Recommend: (a) dispute charge with payment provider, (b) use only [official-domain] going forward.
- Roll out template to support team; ensure consistent messaging.
User Education
- Social media pinned post / announcement: "Only use [official-domain]"
- Email signatures, support replies: link to official domain only
Traffic Recovery (When Impersonation Intercepts Search)
| Tactic | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Brand search ads | Run Google Ads and Microsoft Ads on brand terms; ensure official site appears first for brand queries |
| SEO | Strengthen official site for branded queries; Organization schema, clear H1, meta tags. See schema-markup, title-tag |
| Social | Pinned post: "Only use [official-domain]. Beware of impersonation." |
Monitoring (Ongoing)
- Periodic search: brand name + common variants (e.g., brand+ai, brand+app)
- See brand-monitoring for monitoring setup, tool selection, and cadence
Timeline (Typical)
| Phase | Focus |
|---|---|
| Immediate (Days 1–3) | Support template; site declaration; evidence collection |
| Short-term (Week 1–2) | Abuse reports; Google Safe Browsing; DMCA if applicable |
| Traffic (Week 2+) | Brand ads; SEO; social announcement |
| Ongoing | Monitoring; defensive registration if feasible |
Implementation Checklist
Short-term (1–2 weeks): Evidence collection; abuse reports to registrar and host; Google Safe Browsing report; DMCA if applicable; add "Official website" on site.
Medium-term: Add impersonation guidance to domain-selection; official verification to trust-badges, about-page.
Long-term: Periodic search (brand + variants); brand monitoring (BrandShield, Doppel); defensive registration of variants.
Output Format
- Evidence package (checklist, evidence list)
- Report templates (registrar, hosting, Google)
- Timeline (immediate vs medium vs long-term actions)
- Prevention (defensive registration, site verification, user education)
References
- How to Report and Take Down a Fake Website - LegalClarity
- Website Spoofing: Detection and Take Down - BrandShield
- ICANN DNS Abuse Complaints Guide
- Google Safe Browsing - Report Phishing
- Cloudflare Abuse Reporting — use online form; select Phishing & Malware
- Google Trademark Complaint
- Bing Content Removal
Related Skills
- domain-selection: Defensive domain registration; brand variants
- rebranding-strategy: When rebranding, sync brand protection checks
- brand-monitoring: Proactive monitoring setup; tool selection; this skill = reactive takedown
- branding: Brand asset protection; consistency
- trust-badges: Official site verification signals
- about-page: Official identity and domain declaration
- homepage-generator: "Official website" placement
- google-ads, paid-ads-strategy: Brand search ads for traffic recovery
- schema-markup, title-tag: SEO for branded queries
How to use brand-protection on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
- ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with
node --version) - ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add brand-protection
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
The skills CLI fetches brand-protection from GitHub repository kostja94/marketing-skills and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Reload or restart Cursor to activate brand-protection. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /brand-protection) or your agent's skill management interface.
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
List & Monetize Your Skill
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Use Cases▌
User Story & Requirements Generation
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Competitive Analysis
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Roadmap Prioritization
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
- ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
- ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
- ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Installation Steps
- 1.Install product management skill
- 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7.Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
- ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
- ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
- ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
- ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
- +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
- +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
- +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
- +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
- +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
- −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
- −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
- −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
- −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
- −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
- ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
- ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
- ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path▌
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
Ratings
4.5★★★★★57 reviews- ★★★★★Lucas Park· Dec 28, 2024
I recommend brand-protection for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
- ★★★★★Ren Iyer· Dec 20, 2024
brand-protection has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Yuki Taylor· Dec 16, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: brand-protection is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- ★★★★★Kaira Garcia· Dec 16, 2024
Keeps context tight: brand-protection is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
- ★★★★★Chaitanya Patil· Dec 8, 2024
Registry listing for brand-protection matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.
- ★★★★★Piyush G· Nov 27, 2024
brand-protection reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Lucas Okafor· Nov 23, 2024
Useful defaults in brand-protection — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
- ★★★★★Hassan Ramirez· Nov 19, 2024
brand-protection fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Sakura Flores· Nov 11, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: brand-protection is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- ★★★★★Lucas Mensah· Nov 7, 2024
brand-protection has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
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