For trademark owners, establishing a presence across various mediums is an important, but time-consuming task. And, it’s generally accepted that it is prudent to protect your marks on the most popular social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. But registering your name on over 500 social networks? Some trademark owners wonder “Do I really need to protect my name on that many networks — especially on the ones I’ve never heard of?”
Based on TM.Biz’s feedback from current clients, let us weigh in:
In regard to social networks, many of our clients are actively managing only their accounts on Twitter and Facebook; however they certainly do not want impersonators or cybersquatters misrepresenting them on other networks. In that way, the role of usernames as brand identifiers is following a similar pattern as domain names and many industry professionals are recognizing the need for reserving their username on all networks.
When protecting a trademark, there are several things to address – but we believe it’s time for social media to be a consideration in the traditional lifecycle of a trademark.
As a result, TM.Biz has tailored its solutions to allow users to outsource the tedious process of checking usernames. We search all networks simultaneously instead of one by one – making the process quick and really affordable – as it’s completely free! We also allow users to save all previous searches so variations on a trademark can be researched as well as a whole portfolio of marks.
Finally, TM.Biz does a lot more than search and reserve usernames. It also generates reports to aid in clearing new trademarks, conduct in-use investigations and be alerted to potential infringements.
Trademark lawyers and brand owners can sign up for a free account and use all of our features at http://www.tm.biz
Tags: brand protection, check username, cybersquatting, infringement, l, member-based communities, social media, social networks, trademark protection
