Usernames on Social Sites

As social media becomes mainstream user names on social media sites are becoming desirable properties to own.Under both Twitter’s and Facebook’s rules some uses of the service may be considered trade mark infringement, allowing a trade mark owner to recover the username.Where there is a clear intent to mislead others through the unauthorized use of a trademark, Twitter and Facebook have shown themselves willing to suspend the account and notify the account holder.

In theory this is not intentional, the infringer has an opportunity to clear up any potential confusion to avoid losing the account. In practice, the social media sites do not want to get drawn into long drawn out disputes and reach a decision without necessarily listening to both sides.

For any issues involving user names or vanity urls it is important to understand trade mark law. This is an area in which we specialist.

What next?

If you need legal work please call us on +44 (0)20 7700 1414 or if you prefer send us an enquiry using the form below. Depending on your requirements we may suggest a free meeting. This is often the best way to assess whether we would be the right firm for you, and to understand the work involved, your priorities, attitude to risk, and desired timescales.