Think about this for a minute. What does the term “Golden Arches” mean to you? Chances are, you’re thinking of the company McDonald’s. That’s a sign of trade marking at its best. Social media and e-commerce have broadened the spectrum of trademark protection even further. In the nebulous world of “online e-commerce,” trademark infringement is a real danger.

Fortunately, an experienced Los Angeles business lawyer can help you protect your brand, your reputation, and your word-of-mouth and recognition among your customers. Converse, for example, just filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a small online company called Autonomie Project to protect its Chuck Taylor All-Stars sneakers, which Autonomie had appeared to copy closely with its Ethletic High Tops.

How the Online World has Made Trademark Infringement even more Possible

Social media has made online advertisement almost ubiquitous. In a very short time, a marketing campaign produced through social media venues like Facebook and Twitter can “go viral” – and make you visible and successful much more quickly and easily than past advertising methods.

That’s wonderful, but it also opens you up to a whole new level of risk in regard to trademark infringement. Fake Facebook pages can entice people to buy counterfeit goods that look “just like the real thing,” or can make your logo visible enough that someone else can copy it very closely in an attempt to take advantage of the recognition you receive without having to work for it.

Protecting Yourself from Trademark Infringement

It’s especially important to protect yourself from trademark infringement at all times. In your company, assign just one team or even one person (depending on your size) to work with your social media, so that should trademark of return happen from within, it’s far more likely they’ll catch the perpetrator. Number two, reward employees if they see possible trademark infringement happening and report these incidents to you. If you do see trademark infringement happening, often the first thing to do is simply contact the company and ask them to stop posting the questionable information, logo, etc.

If that doesn’t work, it’s probably time to contact a Los Angeles business attorney that specializes in trademark infringement. Today’s Los Angeles business lawyers are versed in trademark infringement of all kinds, including that which occurs online. If you find that you have been copied in any way and you know that it’s going to affect your brand recognition, an experienced Los Angeles business lawyer can help you protect that brand, trademark, logo, etc., and helps you keep the reputation and recognition you’ve worked so hard to get. Don’t let someone else ride on your coattails of success to his or her own without intervening. If you’ve been a victim of trademark infringement, get help right away.