TM.Biz President, Tom Barrett was a Guest Author for ReadWriteWeb. The article ran today and is generating some conversations about trademark protection on social networks.
YourName(R) – Trademark Protection is Coming to Social Networks
By Tom Barrett / November 19, 2010 9:00 AM/ReadWriteWeb
Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild, unregulated world. Facebook and LinkedIn, among other online social networks, are vast private communities that have thrived without oversight from any policy-making body. And new social networks are proliferating like bed bugs in a cheap hotel. As a result, trademark protection on social networks is becoming a serious concern for corporations.
Your personal and corporate reputation and popularity on these networks pivot on an identity known as your username. The role of usernames as brand identifiers is following a similar pattern as domain names but without any of the protections that trademarks owners enjoy.
