On an industrial scale counterfeiters and scammers hijack brand identities, create fraudulent websites and use fake social media accounts to trick customers and cause financial and reputational damage to brands.
Your brand’s online presence is non-negotiable, however it exposes you to very concrete threats, which you must think about without waiting.
Here are 5 essential actions to start protecting your brand, customers, and revenue.
1. Monitor your brand
The first action is to set up a monitoring of your online presence. It can be done using online brand monitoring services, which search websites, social networks and e-commerce platforms and Web3 to detect brand breaches.
This can help identify cases of trademark infringement or counterfeiting and take steps to protect their intellectual property.
2. Protect your brand on social media
Social networks, by their volume of audience, have become an essential channel for the promotion of brands. However, they increase the risk of your brand being damaged. Create official social media accounts for your brand and monitor social media sites to detect and report counterfeiters.
3. Protect your brand on e-commerce sites
Marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, …) can be used to sell counterfeit products. Companies should monitor these sites comprehensively (quantity and geographic location), report counterfeit products and, if necessary, take legal action.
4. Train your teams
Protecting your brand isn’t just about your legal, IT and technical teams. It is essential to make employees aware of good practices in this area, by explaining the risks involved and the means of fight. This is an essential part of the brand protection strategy on the Internet.
5. Enforce your intellectual property
…or lose your reputation, your customers, and revenue. Companies must enforce their intellectual property rights to prevent third parties from abusing or violating their brand online. This can be done by filing complaints with the competent authorities or by hiring specialists to take legal action against perpetrators of trademark violations.
The case of Web3
The rise of Web3 continues to reshape the tech landscape. The decentralized nature of Web3 raises questions about the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and could lead to further legal challenges.
I recommend reading this article on this particular topic.
Conclusion
Online brand protection is a complex task that requires a thorough knowledge of risks and practices. Given the scope and technicality of the task, some companies can scale and implement the first prevention tools.
For others and for those whose resources are counted or concentrated on the core business, the use of online brand protection expert services is a guarantee of reassurance and expertise, facing a threat whose creativity and playground are limitless.
