MAY 2008
Police your marks in a wiki world
Wikipedia has become a key source of information for internet users around the world. But it also poses dangers for trade mark owners. Joshua Jarvis explains why
| One-minute read |
| Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopaedia, has become a major source of information for internet users across the globe. The combination of the website's impressive reach and the fact that it is comprised entirely of user-generated content means that it warrants the attention of trade mark owners, who are often unaware that their trade marks may be featured on the site. Furthermore, the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has begun to accept Wikipedia entries as evidence in trade mark hearings, evidence of the site's increasing credibility. This article provides advice to help IP owners monitor their marks effectively on Wikipedia to ensure that their IP rights are not being abused. |
Recent court and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decisions highlight the importance of trade mark owners periodically monitoring and, if necessary, updating trade mark information on Wikipedia, the community-authored online encyclopaedia. As the name implies, Wikipedia is a "wiki" – a collaborative website that allows anyone , using a web browser, to add to, modify or delete content that has been placed on the site, including the work of other authors. Wikipedia specifically allows even non-registered public users to add encyclopaedia entries and modify existing entries. This communal structure, along with a user-friendly interface and speedy, well-maintained internet servers, has led to several important corollaries.
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