Social-networking sites: opportunities and challenges for brand owners

The growing popularity of social-networking sites is a double-edged sword for trademark owners, who may benefit from the increased exposure of their brands on these websites, but who must also deal with the threat of trademark infringement by the users of such sites. Policing the use of trademarks on the Internet can be extremely challenging—a task made more difficult by the colossal volume of information and its global reach.