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Someone is using our copyrighted name as a handle
I work for a company called "Aquent." There is someone from Japan, I think, who has taken this Twitter handle. This person may be part of our company, or they may not. I "follow" them, but they have DM turned off.
I would like to find out:
- If this person works for us, I'd like to know so that I can contact them.
- If this person does not work for Aquent, then I would like to get the name back (we own the copyright all over the place, including Japan).
my handle is: Aquentminister
my email is: mgrant@aquent.com
my name is Matthew T. Grant
I would like to find out:
- If this person works for us, I'd like to know so that I can contact them.
- If this person does not work for Aquent, then I would like to get the name back (we own the copyright all over the place, including Japan).
my handle is: Aquentminister
my email is: mgrant@aquent.com
my name is Matthew T. Grant
I’m confused
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Inappropriate?Hey -- Good luck contacting them; I'm sure if you get in touch you can negotiate something. However, I should point out two things in terms of legal rights to a name:
1) You can't copyright a name; you can only trademark a name.
2) Even if your company has trademarks on the name Aquent, that doesn't prevent other people from using it on the Internet legally. It only prevents them from selling the same products as you in the same markets. Or, if it is a very famous name like "McDonalds" or "Coke", from diluting your brand name in a commercial setting.
Since a Twitter handle is not usually commercial, it is unlikely that you have any rights to stop this personal legally. That said, as I mentioned, if you get in touch with them, you could potentially convince them to use a different name or join your team!
Best,
Jason
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Thanks, JasonEFF, and I get the distinction between copyright and trademark, though, apparently Twitter gives us some recourse on the trademark front. Thanks again, Matt -
Inappropriate?Actually, part of the Twitter Terms of Service states:
"6. We reserve the right to reclaim usernames on behalf of businesses or individuals that hold legal claim or trademark on those usernames."
(Under General Terms on http://twitter.com/tos )
Also, as a quick tip, DMing can't be turned "off", but you can only DM people who are following you. :)
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Inappropriate?Matthew, in case you haven't done so yet, kindly log a support ticket at http://twitter.com/help explaining your situation. You'll probably get a response faster that way.1 Comment Add a comment
This answers the question
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Thanks for the tip! Matt
