Why companies need to safeguard intellectual property online

Branding is a critical aspect of marketing for any business. The brand name defines what or who the business is, what it does, and becomes the name that customers immediately associate with that product or service. For this reason, this valuable defining characteristic needs to be protected from would-be infringers.

When a brand is particularly successful, other parties may attempt to capitalize off of that success by stealing intellectual property. As has been discussed previously on this blog, the Internet has made it easier than ever for such infringement to occur. 

A recent article in Forbes addresses the issue of how counterfeiters will take advantage of a successful brand by infringing on their works. In the realm of the Internet, this could include stealing copyrighted and trademarked material. However, the article offers several suggestions for companies looking to protect their online assets. 

Many brands have a presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The article suggests that creating accounts on these sites with your trademarked brand name will help to protect it. This can be accomplished by registering a username with these sites so they cannot be taken by another party. Additionally, creating an actual presence on these sites where your brand has a voice and is participating will increase its validity. 

As the article explains, this idea can also extend to reserving the appropriate web domain names. Companies can also federally register copyrights and trademarks. This will make it easier to pursue would-be infringers in court.

There are many bases to cover when it comes to safeguarding your intellectual property. Consult a Phoenix, AZ small business attorney to learn more about how to properly protect your copyrights and trademarks.  

Categorised in: Intellectual Property Law

This post was written by