Trademark owners should take note of an article, How Adam Got @Adam and Became Cool Online in today’s Wall Street Journal about usernames on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

The article mentions that accounts are considered dormant if not used for six months.  Although they may not be deleted, they are vulnerable to reassignment upon a request.

This can be a simple way for trademark owners to reclaim usernames representing their trademarks.

However, this is also be a warning for trademark owners who have defensively reserved accounts on social networks to protect their trademarks but are not using them. It’s important that the account are kept active, as well.

Read the full article and let us know your thoughts.

Tags: brand protection, cybersquatting, Facebook, social media, trademarks on social networks, Twitter, user names