Tweets, Friends, and Virtual Handshakes:
Strategies for Navigating Web 2.0
by Kenneth Suzan
Another reason to monitor social networking sites is to counter the counterfeiters. Social networking Web sites can easily become spaces to publicize illegal goods and steer the public to illicit online auctions, Web sites, and other portals offering unauthorized merchandise. Finally, brand owners should keep an eye out for fictitious fan pages or individuals posing as official Twitter accounts. Counsel should be immediately contacted if this situation arises as great damage can arise by having a brand in the hands of an unauthorized individual or entity.
Act in 2010 and Embrace Social Media
Many people view social networking as a mere passing fad. However, the current upward trend in users suggests otherwise. Moreover, brands are investing considerable resources into social networking and have had great success in staging social media campaigns. There is a recognizable energy that is realized through social media campaigns and the resulting buzz about branding which stirs both online and off the grid. Social media is a work in progress, but its foundation has certainly been set. 2010 is the right time to join the discussion online and take part in this fast evolving virtual world.
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Kenneth Suzan, a partner at Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo, practices in the areas of trademark litigation and prosecution, copyright law, intellectual property law, social media law, Internet and new media law. You can follow Mr. Suzan on Twitter at @ksuzan.
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Before joining Hodgson Russ, Mr. Suzan was a senior associate at a prominent firm in New York City. His experience includes prosecuting and defending trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board; representing and counseling clients on federal trademark litigation matters; managing and supervising foreign trademark agents in international oppositions, cancellation actions, and infringement proceedings; advising clients on the availability and commercial advisability of proposed trademarks; counseling clients on all facets of trademark clearance, prosecution, infringement, licensing, domain name, and Internet and new media matters; preparing, filing, and defending proceedings under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy; drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements for a wide range of Internet services; and advising clients on enforcement policies for worldwide protection against counterfeiting activities.
Mr. Suzan is the author of numerous articles on topics in his areas of concentration, including "Legal Strategies in the Age of Social Networking" and "Expand Your Brand Into the U.S.," both published in The Lawyers Weekly. He is also the author of "Tapping to the Beat of a Digital Drummer: Fine Tuning U.S. Copyright Law for Music Distribution on the Internet," published in the Albany Law Review; he received first prize from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for this article. At Albany Law School of Union University, Mr. Suzan was the managing editor of lead articles for the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology.
