Coming up with the same idea is possible, due to the fact that different people may think alike.
This is something that has happened so many times throughout the history, yet, never before was it so easy to discover a plagiarized (or unfortunately similar) brand names and content. Why? Well, because of the internet and search engines.
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How to Protect Your Brand?
This has raised the issue of one’s ownership of their brand name and content to a whole new level, as well as made an entire industry revolving around the protection of one’s brand and content.
In the world of cyber-squatting and plagiarism, platforms that check the authenticity of the content are rapidly gaining in popularity and so are legal firms specializing in patent law, trademarks and copyright protection.
Here are several things you as a content creator and brand owner need to know How to Protect Your Brand?
1. This goes both ways
The first false presumption that a lot of people make is believing that only minor brands, blogs and content creators are the ones who steal other people’s work. In reality, this is definitely not the case. Several days ago, we had a situation where the giant IGN released a plagiarized review of the game Dead Cells, previously published by a lesser known YouTube channel Boomstick Gaming.
Even though some left room for an accidental similarity of topics, the semantic and even phrasing similarities were uncanny.
What we’ve learned from this scenario is that even some of the biggest names in the industry don’t have the direct oversight of what creators in their employ are doing. This means that, even with the best intention, they might not notice the error until it’s too late. As a brand owner or creator, this means that you need to be on the lookout for this hazard from all sides.
2. Ensure that you’re in the right
One thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that not every content that’s similar to yours is an act of plagiarism.
Think about it for a second, when reviewing one and the same product, all the reviewers will have to list the same features. After all, they can’t just invent things about these products as they see fit. As for the domain name or the name of the company, if your own brand name is generic or uses a common keyword in your industry, some overlapping is inevitable, sooner or later.
For these reasons, it would be for the best if you were to go to the team of experts and express your concerns before acting.
It is also for the best to hire local experts, if possible, due to the fact that this leads to the probability of face-to-face meetings, that allow you to achieve your objectives in a much more efficient and expedient manner.
Moreover, different countries have different laws and regulations regarding the intellectual property (IP), so, what goes for the U.S. doesn’t necessarily have to apply to the Australia, as well. For the sake of safety, it’s even better to look for a partner within the borders of your own state.
For instance, if your company’s headquarters are based in Victoria, you would do best to look for copyright protection Melbourne agency.
3. Cybersquatting
Another hazard worth looking out for is the one known as cybersquatting. This happens when a smaller creator decides to associate with your brand in a rogue-like manner, without your permission or knowledge.
This is something that has happened to numerous companies, even some of the largest brands in their industries. For instance, in 2009 Lego was plagued by the brand that took URL similar to theirs. Even though it was clear from the start that these two brands had nothing to do with each other, the damage was already done and Lego already received some backlash.
This can happen to your brand, as well, if you’re not careful enough. The first thing you need to look out for is your domain name under a different extension.
With gTLDs, the probability of such a thing became even greater. Most efficient way to protect yourself from this would be to purchase similar domains (even those with a probable spelling error) and redirect them towards your main page.
4. Social media policy as your first line of defense
In order to ensure others aren’t capitalizing on your social media content, you need to ensure that you have a strong social media identity. Sometimes, you even have to write a manifesto in form of guidelines.
Start from something simple and obvious, like your culture and mission. Then, go on to discuss some of the best practices and then state your opinions on the issue of copyrights. In this way, you’ll make your own rulebook on how to act in these given situations.
5. Set an approval system
Once again, we need to reflect on the scenario from the first section of this article – the IGN/ Boomstick Gaming incident.
You see, while it’s easy to place yourself in the role of the accuser, what if someone in your employ, a contributor or an employee decided to save some time and effort by borrowing someone else’s ideas.
In order to avoid this and minimize the chance of such a thing ever happening to you, what you need to do is set an approval system. This way, there’s always someone to double-check your piece of content before it gets uploaded or posted online.
In conclusion
As you can see, the protection of your intellectual property is a two-way street. You need to be as careful of your own content as you are wary of infringing on others. Only in this way can you be 100 percent sure that you’re in the right and have an easy way to legally prove it.
How to Protect Your Brand On Social Media
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