Facebook Users Can Now Create Personalized URLs Using Their Brands Or Names
Facebook, Inc., recently announced that it will allow Facebook users, for the first time, to create a personalized URL (for example, www.facebook.com/yourname). The personalized URL (called a Facebook username) will direct friends to the Facebook user’s profile. Administrators of Facebook Pages (for companies, celebrities, bands, etc.) can also select a Facebook username.
Facebook users and Facebook Page administrators can register a username on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning this Saturday, June 13, at 12:01 am (Eastern Daylight Time).
This presents opportunities for companies utilizing Facebook to create more convenient ways to reach Facebook users and for those users to interact with your company via your company’s brand(s) and/or celebrities associated with your company. This registration process will ensure that these valuable trademarks and names are available for your company’s exclusive use.
This development also presents the risk that companies who choose not to protect their trademarks or names may find them registered by other Facebook users. Facebook has taken several steps to address “username-squatting”:
* Facebook has provided an online form that rights holders can use to prevent the registration of a username that contains their trademarks/names/brands (http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=username_rights ). Rights holders should consider filing this form now, before registration goes live this Saturday.
* Facebook is limiting registration of Facebook usernames to those who created a Facebook account before 3:00 pm on June 9, 2009, when the username policy was announced. This is to discourage individuals from creating Facebook accounts just to register a user name. Registration of a Facebook username will be open to new Facebook users after 12:01 am on Sunday, June 28, 2009.
* Each Facebook user can register only one username, and the username is not transferable.
* Facebook reserves the right to remove and/or reclaim any username at any time for any reason.
Even if your company chooses not to file a list of trademarks/names/brands, you still can challenge the registration of a username after the fact. Facebook provides a Notice of IP Infringement form for rights holders who want to contest a username that has been registered by someone other than the rights holder (http://www.facebook.com/copyright.php?noncopyright_notice=1 ).
In determining what action(s) your company should take at this time to protect your trademarks/names/brands, your company should consider its marketing needs, how these trademarks/names/brands could be used by your company or misused by others, and the impact of any such misuse.
There is also a list of Frequently Asked Questions and answers at (http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=896 ).
Technorati Tags: facebook, usernames, brand abuse, cybersquatting, typosquattng
TelNIC from India has selected Domain www.gurpreet.tel as the Commended.Tels
The Domain http://www.gurpreet.tel has been selected as the Commended.Tels by TelNIC from India.
The Domain is owned and operated by an Internet Law Attorney from India. The website is basically a business card of Gurpreet Singh who is lawyer by profession and Domainer by passion.
Gurpreet is known for providing consultancy for the matters relating to Trademarks, Domain Names, Internet Crimes amongst others. He has been in the profession for last five years practicing in the High Court of Delhi and Supreme Court of India.
He is managing corporate Domain & Trademark portfolios for his clients for the past three years. Besides this he is also running a Domain Name Selling website www.mydreamdomains.com which provides platform for the buyers and sellers to buy and sell their Domain Names having rich keywords.
The TelNic has posted the commended domains on its site http://www.telnic.org/community-weeklytel.html
“Promoting Green Innovation – World IP Day Theme 2009” Are we doing enough?
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) focused its theme on Promoting Green Innovation this year on the occasion of World IP Day celebrated on 26th April of every year.
The issue to consider is, Are we doing enough to promote green innovation in India?
World IP Day, 2009
Today, I am going to revolve my talk around the adoption of green measures taken by Intellectual Property Offices in India.
In India, the jurisdiction of the Trademarks Office has been divided into five jurisdictions vis-à-vis
- Mumbai
- New Delhi
- Kolkata
- Chennai
- Ahmedabad
The jurisdiction of Patent offices has been divided into four jurisdictions
- Mumbai
- New Delhi
- Kolkata
- Chennai
The key challenge for Indian Intellectual Property office has been to centralize the complete database and making it a paperless office. It also aimed to provide services online as far as possible. Indian Intellectual Property Office has used the technological measures and tried to Go Green in its efforts from last four years or so.
After the implementation of e-services there has been significant improvements in the efficiency of work of the IP offices in India. There has been following changes in its system of working towards Green methodology -:
1. All the Trademark Journals from the paper format has been shifted to CD format sometime ago. Now, with effect from 1st April, 2009, even the issuance of CD’s have been discontinued and the journals are now available online at no cost for everyone to view and download the same on its systems.
2. The status of applications can now be viewed online without using the resources of IP office
3. There has been significant improvement in making the system work for online Trademark Search and Trade mark Application filing with the Intellectual Property office. All the records whether submitted online or offline are maintained in a database of the IP offices whereas the same had been preserved earlier in the paper formats.
4. In a similar manner, Patent search and application has also been made online unlike the traditional paper filings. Though the new system have many flaws and the Indian people are also expected to take a long time to make a transition to an online environment, the initiative taken by the Indian Intellectual Property Office is certainly plausible.
Though the various initiative have been taken by the Intellectual Property but there are again various concerns that are required to be addressed at the same time.
A. The issue of bandwidth usage required to fetch records from the central servers are making the task difficult for the examiners and the general public due to excess load on the servers.
B. Due to the excess usage of the server resources the problem of more carbon emissions is going to be there. This will further lead to anti-green applications being adopted by the IPO.
C. The servers need constant maintenance and up gradations that are not seen here in India.
D. Though the new technological measures have been adopted, most officers and public still follow the traditional route for filing the Trademark and Patent Applications due to the ease and authenticity of filing records.
E. There lacks the administrative and technological support to the new systems.
F. The bulk documentation such as opposition proceedings and evidences are still filed and accepted in a physical manner that makes the major step backward if we talk about GREEN Revolution.
Conclusion
There have been various advancements and measures adopted by the Indian Intellectual Property Offices to move and promote green ways for working but there lacks various innovations and strategies which need to be addressed in the future to make the society GREEN.
I am happy to share my views on this World IP Day, 2009 with my fellow colleagues.
Gurpreet Singh
Amarjit & Associates
www.gurpreet.tel
Domain Buying, Selling - Launch of Mydreamdomains.com
MyDreamDomains has been launched today with over 60 Premium Domains put on Sale and Lease.
This is the first ever platform by an Indian Domainer being setup for the buying and selling of the Domain Names.
The website is owned and maintained by team of young professionals from Legal and Technology background. The website which aims at selling the quality Domains to the investors and end users is eyeing the Asian markets to expand their Domain portfolios.
“India lacks in understanding and using Domain Names as potential virtual estate investment” adds Mr. Jay Paudyal, a Domainer by profession.
“Domain Industry in India is at a nascent stage and this is a right time to cap the market by venturing into such projects” adds Gurpreet Singh, Internet Lawyer by profession and Domainer by passion.
However, Mr. Maninder Walia, who is Internet Researcher and operates top job site 123oye.com and cyber law site cybersmart.in says “ The Domaining is good if you have some goals for the development of the Domains. The investment is a very lucrative option but not for the short term period. The Domain Names generally pay if they have original content and unique features to attract the client. It is very necessary to apply mind and research for quality domains before booking them.”
“Domain Name plays a major role in starting a business online. It is the identity of a person or a company in an online environment therefore should be given highest importance. I suggest consulting the professionals in choosing the right Domain for your business” adds Mr. Arun Bansal, An Entrepreneur from New Delhi.
The website promises to deal with the Domain Names in an efficient and legal manner as it has a support of Lawyers and Technical team to deliver the best services to its clients.