Trademark Strategies Online: Implications for Intellectual Property Protection

Abstract

The growth and increasingly mainstream appeal of various aspects of the Internet could have a lasting effect on a firm's marketing mix. The authors address one of the external environmental factors that marketing and brand managers, as well as public policymakers, should continually monitor as the online community further develops: trademark law. As managers attempt to leverage the value of the trademarked brand, the authors examine the impact of the current state of technology and the law to understand the reach of current legal interpretations and the implications for present and future trademark strategy online.