SOCIAL MEDIA
As an experienced Social Media law firm, we provide legal advice, counselling and litigation services regarding:
With the explosion of social media - Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn - businesses can greatly increase their contact with customers and attract potential new business online. This presents unique opportunities for developing brand recognition, but also presents new problems with trademark infringement and brand confusion. The millions of users who use social media daily create a broad marketplace for businesses to build brand recognition online. The return on investment (ROI) for social media marketing can be enormous.
Social media also dramatically increases the opportunity for social and peer-to-peer selling. While this presents a number of positive opportunities for businesses, the potential for brand confusion, negative public relations, and worse, trademark infringement has increased exponentially due to the nature of social media.
Our Social Media Law practice is focused on providing companies with counselling and advice on protecting their trademarks and brands online, avoiding brand confusion in social media, and creating social media policies for employees to address unique employment issues presented by employees engaging in social media on behalf of companies.
For example, a difficult problem arises when a brand owner fails to register as a username on social media sites its key trademark or brand identity and that username is taken by a third party. This is known as username squatting, which can present greater problems than even cybersquatters (where a third party registers an Internet domain name containing a trademark) because the millions of people participating in social media may be confused by the posts and other online activities of the third party or username squatter.
The millions of people engaging in social media daily present an unparalleled occasion for trademark infringement and brand confusion. These threats are heightened by the tools for posting and generating user content in social media, which may lead to infringement, confusion, or even brand disparagement. We advise clients on protecting their brands and trademarks in social media and online.
We counsel clients in setting up and managing brand and trademark monitoring programs to uncover unauthorized third-party use of brands and trademarks. We also assist clients in online reputation management both in social media and the Internet to counteract disparaging and other negative commentary by third parties.
Similar to cybersquatting, companies are vulnerable to third parties registering key brand names and trademarks as usernames on social media sites. In addition to denying the brand or trademark owner the username, this username squatting also provides for potential brand name and trademark confusion. We assist companies in recovering their brand names and trademarks from third parties. We also assists individuals and companies in stopping and preventing identity theft in social media.
The peer-to-peer nature of social media presents unique opportunities for social selling and third-party fan development of marketing for brand and trademark owners. We advise clients on how to manage social selling and third-party use of brand names and trademarks.
We advise clients on implementing, drafting and managing social media policies, which are crucial to address potential concerns such as confidentiality and brand management.
Protecting Brands and Trademarks in Social Media
Brand and Trademark Monitoring in Social Media
Username Squatting and Recovery
Social Selling and Fans Use of Trademarks