You comment that "if it was a 'growing threat' as claimed, the evidence would be directly observable via increased lawsuits, increased UDRP filings, etc."
While it is tempting to draw such a connection, this overlooks important factors such as brand owners' defensive (and sometimes quite large) portfolios taking infringing names out of circulation, the fact that brand owners more often purchase names directly
before going to the UDRP or court (these are both often referred to as an enforcement option of last resort), related preventative programs such as Sunrises or the DPML, and most importantly the reality that brand owners cannot possibly go after all infringements
but must increasingly take a more targeted approach.