AI Has Fueled Global Intellectual Property Risks
A new report shows senior executives expect digital infringement threats to climb significantly over the next three years.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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The CSC State of Online IP Risk 2026 report found that 90% of legal experts believe AI-enabled systems are increasing the frequency of intellectual property infringements. Criminals are leveraging artificial intelligence to replicate logos and human voices to deceive consumers.
Why it matters
Online channels remain highly attractive to bad actors due to their broad visibility, high levels of consumer trust, and the difficulty corporations face in monitoring these platforms at scale.
Ninety percent of surveyed executives report that AI systems are driving infringement frequency, while 65,590 third-party domains containing the keyword FIFA were registered between January 2022 and April 2026.
The players
CSC
This is a global business, legal, tax, and digital brand services company that provides security for intellectual property and domain names.
The details
Criminals are deploying malicious advertising templates across social networks while using AI to generate digital copies of proprietary assets. Meanwhile, 60% of executives cite the financial burden of defensive domain registrations as a primary concern regarding current domain expansion strategies.
Timeline
Between January 2022 and April 2026, 65,590 third-party FIFA domains were registered.
During Q2 2026, 300 senior executives were surveyed for the data.
CSC released the report on September 22, 2026.
A significant increase in infringements is expected over the next three years.
The Tech Race
This development highlights the intensifying struggle between corporate legal teams and criminals using AI to automate digital theft. The landscape marks a departure from legacy manual infringement methods, requiring firms to adopt more sophisticated, automated defense systems.
Consumers should remain vigilant as artificial intelligence makes malicious ads and digital copies of trusted brands more difficult to identify. Increased brand protection costs for companies may eventually influence the pricing and availability of legitimate digital services.
The takeaway
Companies should prioritize AI governance and defensive domain strategies to mitigate the growing risk of impersonation. Readers can protect themselves by verifying the authenticity of branded content, especially when it features voices or logos from trusted entities.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest trends in Cybersecurity.
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