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Brand Protection on the Internet:Strategies for 2016 and Beyond
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Mayer Brown is a global legal services organization comprising legal practices that are separate entities ("Mayer Brown Practices"). The Mayer Brown Practices are: Mayer Brown LLP, a limited liability partnership established in the United States;Mayer Brown International LLP, a limited liability partnership incorporated in England and Wales; and JSM, a Hong Kong partnership, and its associated entities in Asia. The Mayer Brown Practices are known as Mayer Brown JSM in Asia.
Gabriela Kennedy
Partner and Head of Asia IP & TMT Group
Mayer Brown LLP
Brian J. Winterfeldt
Co-Head of Global Brand Management and Internet Practice
Mayer Brown LLP
• Elements of Brand Protection on the Internet
• Overview of ICANN’s New Generic Top-Level Domain Program
• Introduction to the Trademark Clearinghouse
• Key Takeaways from ICANN 56 in Helsinki
Overview of Program
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• Social Media Enforcement Strategies
Brand Protection on the Internet
• Domain Name Strategy
• Social Media Strategy
• Website Content – Use of Branding Elements
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Domain Name Strategy Elements
• Domain name portfolio management
• Actively used domain names
• Defensive registrations
• Enforcement – acquiring or disabling infringing domain names
• New gTLD considerations
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• New gTLD considerations
• gTLD applications and registry operations
• Use of the Trademark Clearinghouse
• Participation in sunrises and early registration programs
• Evolution of overall portfolio management and enforcement strategy
Social Media Strategy Elements
• Registration of social media profiles for key brands
• Active presence on social media sites
• Internal and external social media policies
• Development and marketing of applications
• Enforcement against infringing social media profiles, content and apps
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• Enforcement against infringing social media profiles, content and apps
Internet Corporation for AssignedNames and Numbers (ICANN) Basics
• A global multi-stakeholder organization that collaborates with companies,individuals, and governments to ensure the continued security, stability, andinteroperability of the Internet
• Created and empowered in 1998 through actions by the U.S. government and U.S.Department of Commerce to privatize the Internet
• Encourage greater international participation
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• Encourage greater international participation
• Bolster commercial competition
• Consumer Choice
• Memorandum of Understanding – Officially recognized ICANN as the entity thatwould oversee development and implementation of domain name policy andstandards for technical operations
• Currently implementing a plan to transition the USG stewardship role to themultistakeholder community (the “IANA transition”)
What Does ICANN Do?
• Coordinates Internet Functions
• Domain Name System (DNS)
• Internet Protocol (IP) Address Allocation
• Generic Top-Level Domain Name (gTLD) System Management
• Country Code Top-Level Domain Name (ccTLD) Coordination
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• Country Code Top-Level Domain Name (ccTLD) Coordination
• Security and Stability: Best practice education and new security protocols like DNSSEC
• Interoperability: Secure connections between Internet Users
• Competition and Consumer Choice:
• Accreditation for over 1,000 registrars
• Introduction of new gTLDs
• Ensures an open and transparent policy development process for subjectswithin its remit
Domain Name Registration Hierarchy
• Registry – organization in charge of database of domains ending with a particulartop-level domain (including gTLDs such as .com or .net and ccTLDs such as .us or.jp).
• Registrar – organization that sells rights to use particular second-level domains(such as mayerbrown.com).
• Registrant – user who purchases right to use a second-level domain for a
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• Registrant – user who purchases right to use a second-level domain for adesignated period of time (e.g., Mayer Brown LLP for the mayerbrown.comdomain name).
Anatomy of a Domain Name
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Source: icann.org
Historical Domain Name Landscape in Asia
Country ccTLDs IDNs?
Bangladesh .bd N
Brunei Darussalam .bn N
Bhutan .bt N
China .cn Y
Hong Kong .hk Y
Country ccTLDs IDNs?
Sri Lanka .lk Y
Myanmar/Burma .mm N
Mongolia .mn Y
Macau .mo Y
Malaysia .my Y
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Indonesia .id N
Japan .jp Y
Cambodia .kh N
Kyrgyzstan .kg N
Republic of Korea .kr Y
Kazakhstan .kz Y
Lao People's Democratic
Republic
.la N
India .in Y
Nepal .np N
Philippines .ph N
Singapore .sg Y
Thailand .th Y
Tajikistan .tj N
East Timor .tl N
Taiwan .tw Y
Vietnam .vn Y
Historical Domain Name Landscape in Asia
• Chinese characters
• Simplified
• Traditional
• Domain Categories
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Multilingual China Hong Kong
.com .cn / .中国 .com.hk / .公司.hk
.net .com.cn / .公司 .org.hk / .組織.hk
.biz .org.cn / .組織.cn .net.hk / .網絡.hk
.net.cn / .网络.cn .gov.hk /.政府.hk
.gov.cn / .政府.cn .edu.hk / .教育.hk
.edu.cn / .教育.cn
Historical Domain Name Landscape in Asia
ccTLD DRP? Yr DRPintroduced
Modelled onICANN’sUDRP?
1st requirement 2nd requirement 3rd requirement DR orArbitration
.hk √ 2001 √ same same same A
.cn √ 2002 √ (1) “identical with orconfusingly similar to theComplainant’s name ormark in which theComplainant has civilrights or interests”
(1) “no right orlegitimate interest inrespect of thedomain name ormajor part of thedomain name”
“domain nameholder hasregistered or hasbeen using thedomain name inbad faith”
DR
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(2) no “and” (2) no “and”
.tw √ 2001 √ (1) “trademark(s), mark(s),personal name, businessname, or other emblem(s)of the Complainant”
(2) no “and”
no “and” “The Registranthas registered orused the DomainName in bad faith”
DR
.sg √ 2001 √ (1) “identical or confusinglysimilar to a name,trademark or service markin which the complainanthas rights”
(2) no “and”
same “domain nameholder hasregistered or hasbeen using thedomain name inbad faith”
DR
Historical Domain Name Landscape in Asia
ccTLD DRP? Yr DRPintroduced
Modelled onICANN’sUDRP?
1st requirement 2nd requirement 3rd requirement DR orArbitration
.my √ 2003 √ same n/a “have registeredand/or used theDomain Name inbad faith”
DR
.jp √ 2000 √ “the domain name of theRegistrant is identical orconfusingly similar to anymark such as trademark or
same “the domainname of theRegistrant hasbeen registered
DR
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mark such as trademark orservice mark in which theComplainant has rights orlegitimate interests”
been registeredor is being usedin bad faith(unfairpurpose)”
.ph √ 2001 √ same same same DR
.th X n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
.mo X n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
.vn X n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Historical Domain Name Landscape in Asia
Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre (ADNDRC)
• Asian gTLD dispute resolution provider
• Applies both ICANN’s UDRP and URS
• Joint undertaking
− KLRC –Kuala Lumpur
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− KLRC –Kuala Lumpur
− IDRC – Seoul
− Cietac – Beijing
− HKIAC – Hong Kong
Historical Domain Name Landscape in Asia
• Internet Keywords
• Letters from Chinese Registrars
• What are they?
• Should they be registered?
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“Old” gTLDs vs. “new” gTLDs:
• Previously 23 gTLDs in operation (e.g., .com, .net and .org).
• ICANN program allowed applicants to create their own(e.g., .law or .coupons).
• Successful applicants will execute a Registry Agreement with ICANN –
Overview of the New gTLD Program
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• Successful applicants will execute a Registry Agreement with ICANN –10-year commitment to operate the gTLD.
• Includes internationalized domain names (IDNs) such as Arabic, Cyrillicand Lao allowing for special (non-ASCII) characters.
• 1930 complete applications submitted; approximately 700 expected tobe open to third parties to register second-level domains.
• First new gTLDs went live Q4 2013; over 1100 delegated to date.
Overview of the New gTLD Program
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Source: ICANN
New gTLD Application Process Recap
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New gTLD Growth
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Source: ntldstats.com (September 11, 2016)
New gTLD Distribution
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Source: ntldstats.com (September 11, 2016)
.BRANDS account for over 30% of new TLDs.
New gTLD Application Process Recap
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Source: icann.org last updated February 22, 2016
Examples of .BRAND Applications
.jnj and others .walmart and others.loreal and others .target
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.macys and .bloomingdales .mcdonalds and .mcd
.heinz
.aarp
.safeway and others
Examples of Media .BRAND Applications
.abc .fox .comcast, .xfinity .cbs, .showtime
.hbo.bbc
.food, .foodnework
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.hbo .food, .foodnework
.cookingchannel .hgtv .travelchannel.weather, .weatherchannel
.canalplus .itv .africamagic, .mzansimagic .sky
.qvc
Examples of Fashion .BRAND Applications
.gucci .hermes .polo
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.tiffany
.calvinklein
.chanel
.swatch and .omega
Examples of Asian .BRAND Applications
.alibaba, .alipay
.taobao and .tmall
.baidu .citic and .中信
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.unicom and .联通
.icbc and .工行
.shangrila , .盛贸饭店 and .香格里拉
.sina and .微博
Examples of .GENERIC Applications
• ads• adult• agency• analytics• app• arab• art• associates• audio• baby• barcelona• bargains
• channel• cheap• christmas• city• click• clothing• club• community• company• contact• cool• corp
• football / futbol• forsale• forum• free• fun• fund• game(s)• gift(s)• gives• giving• global• golf
• living• lol• lotto• ltd(a)• madrid• man• market(s)(ing)• media• miami• mobile• moda• mom
• pub• radio• rent(als)• report• review(s)• rocks• rugby• search• seek• services• sex(y)• shop(ing)
• team• tech• technology• tennis• theater• theatre• tickets• tienda• tips• today• top• toys
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• bargains• baseball• basketball• beauty• blog• book• boutique• broadway / bway• broker• buy• buzz• cafe• camera• care• career(s)• casa• center• ceo
• corp• country• coupon(s)• cricket• earth• eco• education• email• events• exposed• fail• family• fan(s)• fashion• film• finance• financial• fit(ness)
• golf• gratis• guru• home(s)• host• hot• how• inc• international• investments• joy• juegos• kid(s)• lat(ino)• life(style)• like• link• live
• mom• mov(ie)• music• network• new(s)• nyc• one• online• page• paris• pay• pet(s)• photo(s)(graphy)• pics / pictures• porn• press• productions• promo
• shop(ing)• show• site• smile• soccer• social• song• soy• sport(s)• spot• store• stream• studio• study• style• sucks• support• talk
• toys• translations• tube• tunes• vacations• viajes• video• vip• vision• vote / voting / voto• voyage• vuelos• web• webcam• win(ners)• world• wow• you
Sample IDN .GENERIC Retail Applications
(bazaar)بازار.
. (com)كوم
.ストア (store)
.セール (sale)
.企业 (company)
.信息 (info)
.购物 (shopping)
.通販 (online shopping)
.集团 (conglomerate)
.八卦 (gossip)
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.企业 (company)
.公司 (business)
.商城 (mall)
.商店 (shop)
.商标 (trademark)
.网店 (web store)
.中文网 (website)
.八卦 (gossip)
.娱乐 (entertainment)
.餐厅 (restaurant)
.珠宝 (jewelry)
.移动 (mobile)
.时尚 (fashion)
.ファッション (fashion)
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Trademark Clearinghouse
• Purpose – central repository for information to be authenticated, stored, anddisseminated pertaining to rights of trademark holders.
• Entry makes marks eligible for Trademark Claims and Sunrise services – bothmandatory for all new gTLD registries.
• Operates separately from ICANN – Deloitte performs authentication functions andIBM performs technical database functions.
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IBM performs technical database functions.
• Costs borne by registries (setup fee of $7,000 to $10,000) and trademarkowners (filing fee generally about $150 per mark per year, plus service providersubmission fees).
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Trademark Clearinghouse Basics
Standards for inclusion:
• Nationally or regionally registered word marks from all jurisdictions.
• Any word mark validated through court of law or other judicial proceeding.
• Word marks protected by statute or treaty currently in effect or in effect on orbefore June 26, 2008.
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before June 26, 2008.
• Does not include any common law rights other than the above.
• Proof of use required for participation in Sunrise services.
Trademark Clearinghouse Basics
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Sunrise Service
• All new gTLDs must provide a Sunrise period, i.e. a priority opportunity for owners ofmarks recorded in the TMCH to register these marks as second-level domain namesin new gTLDs before the TLD is made available to the general public for registration.
• Dates and requirements published 30 days pre-Sunrise period.
• Offered for a minimum 30-day period; some applicants voluntarily extending theSunrise period.
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Sunrise period.
• Fee for registering domain names set by registries – ICANN will not regulate prices.
• Trademark owners should be judicious in determining in which sunrises toparticipate – choose gTLDs most important to the brand and business.
• System became functional on August 16, 2013.
Trademark Claims Service
Like Sunrise, all new gTLDs must provide Trademark Claims Service.
• Trademark Claims Service is really comprised of two services, both of which applyonly to “identical matches” – no plurals, variants, contained-in, etc.:
• Trademark Claims Notice
• Notice of Registered Name
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Trademark Claims Notice:
• Provides a warning notice of potential trademark infringement to potential second-level domain name registrants seeking to register a domain name that matches amark recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse.
Notice of Registered Name:
• Provides notice to trademark owner in the event a second-level domain name isregistered that exactly matches the trademark owner’s Clearinghouse-recorded mark
Trademark Claims Service must be provided for a minimum of 90 days after the completionof the Sunrise period
Trademark Claims Service
• The Trademark Clearinghouse has begun to offer a free Extended Claims Servicewherein it will provide Notice of Registered Name service to brand owners whosemarks have been recorded in the Clearinghouse indefinitely, even after the end ofthe minimum 90 day TrademarkClaims Service period.
• Brand owners must opt-in for the service.
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• Brand owners must opt-in for the service.
• The Trademark Claims Service system became functional onSeptember 11, 2013.
• According to Deloitte, 95% of queries for TM terms resulting in Claims Notices donot result in a live registration – significant deterrent effect.
Thinking About TrademarkClearinghouse Strategy
• TMCH is a valuable tool, but to enter every mark in your portfolio may be costprohibitive.
• One potential strategy: select “Crown Jewels” – marks you’ll want to defensivelyregister during Sunrise.
• Determine which marks are your Crown Jewels and get them into the TMCH now.
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Thinking About TrademarkClearinghouse Strategy
• Next, identify “Top Tier” gTLDs most relevant to your business model.Some examples for the fashion and retail industries:
• .ads
• .auction
• .bargains
• .beauty
• .direct
• .discount
• .ecom
• .fashion
• .living
• .luxe
• .luxury
• .moda (fashion in
• .save
• .shoes
• .shop(ping)
• .store
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• .beauty
• .bid
• .blackfriday
• .buy
• .cards
• .clothing
• .company
• .cool
• .coupon(s)
• .deal(s)
• .fashion
• .forsale
• .free
• .fun
• .gift(s)
• .gratis
• .guide
• .kaufen(shop in German)
• .life
• .moda (fashion inItalian & Spanish)
• .new
• .pay
• .promo
• .qpon
• .report
• .review(s)
• .rich
• .sale
• .store
• .style
• .tienda(shop in Spanish)
• .wedding
Thinking About TrademarkClearinghouse Strategy
• Track your Top Tier applications. Some may be in contention sets; differentapplicants may have different plans.
• Decide which additional trademarks to add to your Crown Jewels in the TMCH basedon how your Top Tier gTLDs shake out.
• One potential downside of the Crown Jewels approach: requires diligence. The newgTLDs will not necessarily be coming in the order of their Prioritization Numbers!
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gTLDs will not necessarily be coming in the order of their Prioritization Numbers!
Trademark Clearinghouse Fees
TMCH Registration (including up to 10 domain labels)
• 1, 3 or 5 years at $150, $435 or $725 per registration
Previously Abused Labels (up to 50, claims service only)
• $1 per label per year
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• Verification fee per case: $50–75 (UDRP) $150–200 (Court)
Other Rights Protection Mechanisms
• In addition to the Trademark Clearinghouse and supported services (Sunrise andTrademark Claims), a host of other RPMs are available to combat infringement:
• Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)
• Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
• National anti-cybersquatting or trademark infringement legislation (e.g. ACPA in
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• National anti-cybersquatting or trademark infringement legislation (e.g. ACPA inthe United States)
• Each of these has pros and cons, depending on the circumstances and remedialneeds.
Uniform Rapid Suspension
• Designed as a lower-cost, faster alternative path to relief to complement the UDRP.
• For use to combat the most clear-cut cases of infringement.
• Fees to file are around $300-$500.
• Can be decided in 14 day span, although lengthy de novo review and appealsprocesses even in event of default by respondent (potentially a year or more).
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processes even in event of default by respondent (potentially a year or more).
• Relief limited to suspension of the domain for remainder of registration period, plusadditional year.
Uniform Domain NameDispute Resolution Policy
• In use for many years to protect brand owners from cybersquatting andinfringement in legacy TLDs.
• Lower standard of proof than URS -- “preponderance of evidence.”
• Fees to file range from $1,300 to $1,500 depending on the dispute resolutionprovider selected.
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• Generally decided within 30-60 day span, appeal must be made to court ofcompetent jurisdiction.
• Relief available includes cancellation or transfer of domain name to complainant –no damages available.
Anti-Cybersquatting ConsumerProtection Act (ACPA)
• U.S. law integrated into Lanham Act that provides avenue of relief in U.S. federalcourt for cybersquatting.
• Can proceed in rem against foreign-registered domain names, so long as U.S.-baseddomain registration authority involved.
• Similar standard of proof to UDRP (preponderance of the evidence).
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• Cost similar to general civil litigation in U.S. court.
• Relief similar to UDRP – cancellation or transfer.
URS / UDRP / ACPA Elements
URS UDRP ACPA
Domain name is identical orconfusingly similar to mark inwhich complainant has rightspursuant to (i) national/regionalregistration, (ii) court-validation ofmark, or (iii) statute/treaty;
Domain name is identical orconfusingly similar to mark inwhich the complainant hasdemonstrated rights;
Defendant has a bad faith intent toprofit from a protected mark; and
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Registrant has no legitimate rightor interest to domain name; and
Registrant has no legitimate rightor interest to domain name; and
Defendant registers, traffics in, oruses a domain name that isidentical or confusingly similar tothat mark, or is dilutive of the markif the mark is famous at the time ofregistration.
Domain name registered andbeing used in bad faith.
Domain name has been registeredand used in bad faith.
Bad faith intent shall not be foundin any case in which the defendantreasonably believed that the use ofthe domain name was a fair use orotherwise lawful.
Brand Owner Strategy for New gTLDs
• Will have to reevaluate your existing domain name and brandprotection strategy.
• Defensive registrations are like insurance: brand owners pay a little now (cost ofdefensive registration) to avoid having to pay a lot later (cost of enforcementaction).
But perhaps that insurance equation is changing with the new gTLDs. More gTLDs
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• But perhaps that insurance equation is changing with the new gTLDs. More gTLDsmeans more defensive registrations, and if the cost of the insurance exceeds thecost of the thing that you’re trying to insure against then it no longer makes sense.
Brand Owner Strategy for New gTLDs
First step: understand and think about your defensiveregistration costs.
• What are you spending now? How many domains are in your portfolio? Any you canlive without?
• How aggressive should you be with defensive registrations in thenew gTLDs?
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new gTLDs?
• Again a tiered approach can help:
• Top Tier (same as before); More defensive registrations
• Middle Tier
• Lower Tier. (Fewer in the Lower Tier.)
Brand Owner Strategy for New gTLDs
Second step: understand and think about your enforcement costs. In the new gTLDsenforcement mechanisms may be more cost-effective than completing and maintainingnumerous defensive registrations.
• URS: cheap and quick. Relief is limited, but does that matter?
• Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP): cost-effective alternativeto litigation that allows for recovery of the infringing domain name.
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to litigation that allows for recovery of the infringing domain name.
• Litigation (i.e., ACPA actions) also an option for the most egregious incidents ofinfringement – use judiciously due to cost and time investment.
Brand Owner Strategy forNew gTLDs: Conclusion
• Cooperate, educate and communicate with others in your organization to meet yourgoals – especially as to budget andcost expectations.
• Monitor ICANN developments or partner with an ICANN specialist to assist witheducation training and strategic planning.
Develop or adapt online enforcement program to account for
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• Develop or adapt online enforcement program to account fornew gTLDs.
• Coordinate with industry peers.
• Evaluate successes and failures openly.
• Continuously reassess and adapt. There is much we don’t yet know. Stay flexible.
• Next-Generation Registration Directory Services (“RDS”) to Replace WHOIS
• Rights Protection Mechanisms (“RPMs”)
o Trademark Clearinghouse (“TMCH”)
o Uniform Rapid Suspension System (“URS”) and Uniform Domain Name
ICANN 56: Helsinki – Key Policy Issues for Brand Owners
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o Uniform Rapid Suspension System (“URS”) and Uniform Domain Name
Dispute Resolution Policy (“UDRP”)
o Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedures (“PDDRP”)
• Public Interest Commitments (“PICs”)
• Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Transition
Social Media Explained
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Why Engage with Social Media?
Who uses social media?
• Users are decision-making consumers with strong purchasing power—78% ofInternet users with $75k+ annual household income use socialnetworking sites.
• Over 70% of Internet users between the ages 30 of 49 use Facebook; 16% ofFacebook users earn $100k+ annually.
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Facebook users earn $100k+ annually.
• More than one billion unique users visit YouTube each month.
• Each global Internet user spends an average of over 106 minutes per day onsocial media activities.
• Over 2.3 billion social media users globally as of April 2016.
• Users are increasingly accessing social media through mobile devices.
• 90% of all households in Hong Kong are connected to the internet
• With the online population standing at 4.3 million, the penetration rate is 83%,the highest in the world
• 96% of Hong Kong smartphone users browse the internet daily on theirsmartphones
Social Media Usage in Hong Kong
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• This is the highest rate of mobile internet usage in Asia
• Social media penetration rates at around 64%, the top sites are
• Facebook, WhatsApp, and Wiebo top the list
• There are 4.4 million Facebook users in Hong Kong, which is more than 50% ofthe population
• 44% of Facebook users say Facebook is their first point of contact when it comesto reading breaking news
Top Social Media Sites in China
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Strategies for Social Media Enforcement
• Brand owners have primary enforcement responsibility.
• Social media should be a part of an overall brand enforcement strategy.
• Localize strategy by geographical regions as needed.
• Ensure customers are not misled and have access to accurate information.
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• Failure to enforce may lead to consumer confusion, loss of business and goodwill, ordilution or loss of trademark rights.
• Devote adequate human and financial resources to enforcement efforts.
• Assess customer and user demographics to allocate resources appropriately.
• Partner with knowledgeable and experienced counsel.
• Develop custom watch tools to supplement watch efforts.
Strategies for Social Media Enforcement
• Monitor at least Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for unauthorized third-partycontent – depending on industry and products/services, image sites such asInstagram and Pinterest and e-commerce/auction sites such as eBay andAmazon.com may also be priorities to monitor.
• Monitor pool of mobile applications for unauthorized third-party apps.
Enforcement in other platforms should be determined by type of infringement that
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• Enforcement in other platforms should be determined by type of infringement thatusually affects the company’s brands.
• Consider monitoring regional platforms popular outside the United States in keymarkets.
• Maintain list of authorized, official social media resources to ensure enforcementefforts are efficient.
• Have a go-to resource who can coordinate between marketing and brandenforcement teams.
Strategies for Social Media Enforcement
Immediate Action
Direct infringement
Derogatory/defamatory speech
Blatantly false information
Impersonation of company personnel
Obscene/pornographic content
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Obscene/pornographic content
Potential Action – Research
Unauthorized but non-malicious trademark use
Misleading information
Likely No Action
Non-defamatory blog and message board posts
Product or service reviews
Strategies for Social Media EnforcementMECHANISMS
• Maintain library of information on major platforms’ terms and conditions andenforcement policies.
• Facebook has takedown procedures for copyright infringement and other IPinfringement, as well as an impersonation reporting mechanism.
• Twitter also has copyright, trademark and impersonation reporting options.
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• YouTube allows for submission of copyright complaints; videos that violatecommunity guidelines can be flagged.
Strategies for Social Media EnforcementCREATIVE STRATEGIES
• Be proactive instead of reactive – engageusers from official sites and companyprofiles.
• Find ways to reward those who complyquickly with requests to remove orchange content.
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change content.
• Redirect users of third-party resources toofficial sites.
• Explore partnerships with third-partycontent providers.
• Find ways to nullify infringers’ incentivesto infringe (i.e., Herman Miller in SecondLife).
Strategies for Social Media EnforcementUSER-GENERATED CONTENT
• Growing problem: Brand owners find their ads next to offensiveuser-generated content.
• Following high-profile controversies, social media websites articulated differentapproaches to balance user expression and concerns of primary revenue source.
• Facebook committed to review/improve its moderation procedures.
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• Pinterest reversed its policy banning images containing nudity.
Strategies for Social Media EnforcementCOMPETITORS
• Always use (if at all) competitors’ marks properly and respectfully.
• Always follow competitors’ social media policies when visitingtheir sites.
• Follow public conversations regarding competitors and their products and services.
• Learn from competitors’ social media successes and mistakes.
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• Learn from competitors’ social media successes and mistakes.
Strategies for Social Media EnforcementCOPYRIGHT CONSIDERATIONS
• Social media sites like Pinterest nearly always qualify as DMCA“Service Providers.”
• Upon active or constructive knowledge of infringement, social media sites mustremove infringing materials.
• Most social media sites have a DMCA policy setting forth actions it will take uponreceipt of a takedown notice.
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receipt of a takedown notice.
• Social media sites tend to err on the side of caution, particularly with respect toclaims of fair use.
• Please note DMCA should not be used for trademark claims – could be a violationfor making material misrepresentation.
Strategies for Social Media EnforcementREMINDERS
• Not advisable or possible to address every piece of content of concern.
• Keep in mind that a heavy-handed approach may result in negative publicity orundue attention to the infringer.
• Choose battles wisely!
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Social Media EnforcementREPRESENTATIVE CHECKLIST FOR ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA
Understand your demographic.
Select optimal platforms.
Follow relevant guidelines.
Develop terms and conditions and social media policy.
Develop privacy policy and data protection system.
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Develop privacy policy and data protection system.
Provide internal and external training regarding resources and policies.
Ensure resources can be monitored, maintained, and updated regularly.
Review target demographic and new platforms and technologies regularly—adjuststrategy as needed.
Remain engaged with your user community.
Thank You!
Brian J. WinterfeldtCo-Head of Global Brand Managementand Internet Practice
Mayer Brown LLP+1 202 263 3284
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+1 202 263 [email protected]
@bjw72