Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, June 13, the popular social networking website Facebook will offer its users the ability to create personal Facebook URLs (for example, www.facebook.com/jim.smith) for their Facebook profiles and pages. Facebook URLs are currently based on an automatically assigned identification number. Companies can protect their trademarks from cybersquatters on Facebook by following the steps outlined in this bulletin today.
What does this mean for your business?
The freedom to create personalized URLs is always accompanied by the danger of trademark infringement. Facebook has established rules intended to prevent Facebook URL cybersquatting; for example, the site will restrict users to a single URL per profile or page and, for the time being, will allow only those users with profiles established prior to its announcement of the new policy to participate. Nonetheless, the unauthorized registration of URLs containing trademarks by Facebook users is inevitable. As a preventative measure, Facebook has established a painless and cost-free method for trademark holders to register with the site, which will then bar users from creating a personal URL based on the registrant’s trademark. The online registration form can be accessed at thislink. Trademark holders would be wise to register before midnight on Friday, in order to avoid future infringement issues.
What if your business has a Facebook page?
Businesses that maintain a Facebook page may wish to take advantage of this opportunity for exposure and create a personal URL. At the moment, this option is available only for pages that existed as of May 31, 2009, and had more than 1,000 “fans” at that time. All other pages will be eligible for a personal URL on June 28, 2009.
The opinions expressed in this bulletin are intended for general guidance only. They are not intended as recommendations for specific situations. As always, readers should consult a qualified attorney for specific legal guidance.
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