Don’t be surprised. Yes, it is possible to trademark a username if you apply it to distinguish your products or services from others. Those who are into entertainment can also apply for a trademark. In registering your username, make sure that it is unique, and it belongs only to your products or group.
USPTO (the United States Patent and Trademark Office) is the governing organization in registering a trademark. If they find your trade name confusing and misleading, they can decline your application. The primary purpose of applying for a trademark is to prevent others from imitating you and your products that might confuse the buyers.
Social media networks like Twitter offer the trademark owners’ solutions if someone tries to misappropriate your trademark. These networks have inbuilt in their systems communication likes created to handle the misuse of trademarks and copyrights.
Social media sites trademark policies
The six social media networks dominating the World Wide Web at present are as follows:
- YouTube
Check out below how these social media sites deal with trademark and copyright infringement and other issues involving the misuse of trademarks.
In the US, around 65.8% of companies with more than 100 employees use Twitter to market their products. This social media site is a very helpful marketing tool, and it is used most of the time as a customer service tool. You can write your message of inquiry or complaint in up to 280 characters and can be addressed right away. Below are examples of messages you will get from Twitter when it comes to trademark infringement:
- In case you find someone squatting on your trademark, use the website support form to report.
- Referencing other trademarks is not an automatic violation of Twitter’s trademark policy. Click here for more details.
- Using other trademarks in a way that may mislead or confuse people regarding your brand affiliation could be a violation of Twitter’s trademark policy.
- Once Twitter finds the reported account violates the Trademark policy, they will suspend the accounts and will give the user enough time to comply before suspending.
The number of users of Facebook in America alone is around 68%. You have to take advantage of this marketing opportunity for your business. This social media site provides a wide range of information about trademark infringement.
- If Facebook noticed that another brand is using someone else’s trademark without permission, the social media site would consider it a trademark infringement violation.
- You can use the Facebook online form or thru email to report infringement violations.
- Facebook will remove content if proven it violated Facebook’s trade policy.
- ● The social media site emphasizes that they will not be the one to adjudicate disputes between third parties and could not remove the content in question. You can use UDRP, which is a set of guidelines used by ICANN for resolving disputes.
LinkedIn is best for B2B marketing and to get connected with audiences of the same mindset. The policy on trademark infringement of LinkedIn is clear, and they deal with the matter seriously. If you want to file a complaint on a trademark violation on this social media site, you can fill out the form on their help page.
People are using this site to look for inspiration and ideas for their interests. If you focus on increasing traffic and sales to your site, it will help if pins are linked back to the company’s websites. Pinterest is also very serious when it comes to trademark infringement:
- Accounts usernames, pinboard names, or others that may confuse and mislead others violate others’ trademark and can be transferred or suspended.
- You can file any trademark violations by emailing trademark@pinterest.com or filling out the form provided by the tenant.
You can expand your visibility and reach with Instagram. In 2018, the site had reported one billion active users and was the second most widely used social network. Thus, it is just right to protect your trademarks. Here’s how Instagram deal with trademark infringement:
- Users can find the policy for trademark infringement at the Help Center.
- You can use Instagram’s contact form to submit a claim of trademark infringement.
YouTube
According to the YouTube press, over 1.9 billion users are logging into this platform in a month. There is no doubt it is the best channel for video marketing. The site can build traffic, can reach a wider audience worldwide, and boost its presence. Below are some of YouTube’s policy on trademark infringement:
- You can contact YouTube if you found someone using your trademark in their video content that confuses you.
- Even if YouTube has a system where you can report infringement violations, it is still best that you mediate issues on your own to get results right away.
- YouTube has a private messaging feature where you can contact the users in question directly.
Lori Wade is a journalist and content writer from Louisville. Lori creates news and informative articles about HR, recruiting, and employee productivity. You can find her on LinkedIn.