The explosion of social media in recent years has dramatically impacted the manner in which individuals and businesses interact with one another. Social media gives businesses endless opportunity to increase brand awareness and expand audience reach. However, social media also presents a myriad of legal issues, particularly with respect to brand management.
Given the number of social media sites and drastic numbers of social media users (Twitter reports 284 million monthly active users and 500 million Tweets sent per day by its users), it is inevitable that a company’s trademark or brand will be mentioned on social media by an unrelated third party. This article sets out the specific steps and analysis trademark owners can undertake when confronted with potential trademark infringement or misuse on social media and provides practical guidance to protect your brand and mark in the vast world of social media.
