Facebook – trademarks this time
June 21, 2009
Facebook has taken a very interesting approach to trademarks: legitimate trademark owners were invited to submit their trademarks, so Facebook could block other users from using those trademarks. A time limit was set a couple of days ago.
What does that mean? Will Facebook now start deciding who is a genuine trademark holder and who is not?
To give a practical example: if I have a trademark “Coca-Cola” and I did not register it with Facebook, according to Facebook’s registration system, does that mean that you can, tomorrow, use “Coca-Cola” in your personal Facebook page, and I can’t stop you?
Seems like a god-send for litigation lawyers…
The more serious comment though is that big players, Facebook as well as Google and other big internet players, seem to take their own, specific approach to Intellectual Property Rights.
It is uncertain whether by trying to grab so much power over Intellectual Property Rights, and by trying to remould them in their own way, they are actually strengthening or weakening enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights.
Watch this space!
