Home / Intellectual Property / Trademark Holders Concerned About Facebook Vanity URLs

Trademark Holders Concerned About Facebook Vanity URLs

Later today, Facebook will begin allowing users to register their own vanity URLS, such as http://www.facebook.com/danielfoster. While many users are eagerly awaiting this opportunity, trademark holders are concerned this might be an opportunity for cybersquatting to occur.

Trademark lawyers are urging their clients to get on Facebook as soon as possible and register their trademarks. Otherwise, they claim the intellectual property could be registered by cybersquatters and exploited, just like in the domain industry.

This is really a way for someone who has a distinct or famous trademark to let Facebook know that others should not be allowed to register that page. They can just say, ‘Please don’t let anyone use my registered trademark,'” said Brian Fergemann, a partner and intellectual property attorney at Winston & Strawn.

Earlier this month, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa filed a lawsuit against Twitter over cybersquatting, claiming another user registered his name and used it to defame him.

Registration for the new URLS will begin at 12:01 Eastern Time. Facebook is not turning a blind eye to the issue and has set up a form where trademarks can be registered ahead of time.

Source: Law.com

Check Also

waist woman domain dispute

World’s smallest-waist woman wins domain dispute

Cathie Jung may have the world’s smallest waist, but that didn’t stop her from filing …