Facebook announced last week the availability of a personalized Facebook URLs for individual profiles, e.g., www.facebook.com/[your name].
As discussed in our June 12 Client Alert, "Just When You Thought You Were Too Old for Facebook," this latest offering from Facebook raises serious issues—issues that are typically encountered when technology collides with traditional intellectual property laws intended to protect trademarks and brand names.
Much like the confusion and abuse that proliferated when cybersquatting became rampant over the ownership and administration of domain names, we now have social networks and service providers allowing users to generate content and offering customized http://www.thecompany.com/YOURNAMEHERE URLs within their own domains in a digital and borderless world.
Significantly, the promotional momentum created by Facebook's offer has caused every astute brand and trademark owner to ponder whether they should be in a rush to register their personalized URL on Facebook, or let it ride and deal with potential infringements when—and if—they occur!
While it can be stimulating to consider whether the intellectual property laws have kept up with the Internet, you need practical guidance and insightful approaches to these problems today. The Media & Entertainment Industry Team and the Advertising Technology & Media Law Group at Reed Smith have put together a teleseminar to help you understand the issues, formulate an approach, and make informed decisions. Join us for this informative one-hour teleseminar on Tuesday, June 23 at 12 p.m. EDT with partners Doug Wood and Joe Rosenbaum.
Douglas Wood is a partner in Reed Smith's New York office and head of the firm's Media & Entertainment Industry Group. He has more than 30 years' experience representing national and multinational companies in advertising, marketing, promotions, unfair competition, intellectual property, and e-commerce matters. Joseph Rosenbaum is a partner in Reed Smith's New York office and co-chair of the firm’s global Advertising Technology & Media Law practice. Joe has over 30 years of domestic and international experience in the law and policy relating to digital, online and interactive advertising & marketing, e-commerce & information technology, digital content, media & entertainment law, online and interactive gaming & promotions, and privacy & data protection.
