Brand Infringement: Protect Your Brand Across Digital Sphere

Since the advent of digital platforms and unmatched reach, the way brands engage with their audience has been completely transformed. As businesses expand their digital footprints, they are exposed to new challenges and risks that come under the umbrella term brand infringement.   

Infringement occurs not just on names of the brand but also on social media handles, site domains, and ad campaigns. According to recent reports the global losses due to brand infringement are expected to reach over $4.5 trillion in 2024, IP theft globally is estimated to cost companies more than $1.2 trillion (source – Intellectual Property Helpdesk).  

The numbers clearly show the alarming situation, and it is therefore important for every business to protect their brand and digital assets from impersonation by using AI-ML-driven identification tools & automated takedown management software.  

Ultimately, ‘Brand Safety is the Brand’s Responsibility’ to protect the brand from impersonation and customers from fraudsters’ fraudulent activities to ensure the business’s ongoing success.  

Let’s delve into the understanding of brand infringement or trademark infringement, its types, and takedowns to prevent it.   

What is brand Infringement? 

Brand Infringement or trademark infringement occurs when an unauthorized party uses a brand’s name, logo, or elements of its identification without permission, leading to potential confusion among consumers. Customer trust can be undermined, and this misuse damages the brand’s reputation. 

For instance, a trademark is a term, symbol, or expression used by a company to differentiate its product from competitors. In the context of business services, a service mark is equivalent to a trademark.  

Types of Brand Infringement? 

1. Fake Websites & Helpline Numbers- They mimic legitimate businesses to deceive customers. They are tricked into taking away sensitive information, it is mostly done under popular bank names.    
2. Similar Domain/ Typosqautting – This is done by creating nearly identical web addresses just like the brand’s official domain but with slight variations.   
3. IP infringement- It occurs when someone uses a brand’s trademarks like its logos, or protected content without its permission. Often operated on fake websites to sell these goods and products.
4. Phishing Websites – This is a form of cyberattack that gathers sensitive information like login credentials, bank account numbers, or other financial information.   
5. Deep & Dark Web Monitoring– It involves scanning the hidden part of the internet where illegal activities occur including stealing of brands’ data and misusing them.
6. Fake Brand Communication like Emails- A consumer may receive emails that look like from some famous brands. These fraudulent emails appear to be genuine, but they are sent by scammers.  
7. Fake Social Media Handles and Posts – For example, a counterfeit fashion brand may create an online post to sell fake products using images and logos from a luxury brand, this is how a brand’s intellectual property is misused.   
8. Counterfeit Products – To imitate or create unauthorized replicas of genuine products can deceive consumers into believing they are purchasing a legitimate product.
9. Fake Promotion & Offers – Fake posts and advertisements on discount deals or offers that trick consumers, making them believe that they are getting a real discount deal, and often get trapped and lose their money. 

How to protect the brand from the risk of trademark Infringement?  

The brands must use comprehensive monitoring detection mechanisms to deal with infringement across the web, social media, and other media platforms. mFilterIt gives a comprehensive solution suited to the above-mentioned types of brand infringement. 

Three Pillar Approach  

1. Identification – By scanning various platforms such as websites, social media, YouTube, and IM apps to identify potential brand infringements and trademark violations.  
2. Classification – Identifies and shares potential threats of trademark violation using AI and ML techniques with clients to review for their confirmation. 
3. Action – The URLs of websites, YouTube channels, and IM handles found infringed are added to a blacklist for further actions by the clients.  

Platform Coverage for Brand Infringement Detection  

 Figure 1.0  

In the above-mentioned figure 1.0 we can check your performance across these platforms.  

Infringement Protection via Takedowns  

• Inhouse Takedown – Without relying on any formal legal complaints documentation from any law enforcement agencies. 

• Network collaborations with Internet Service Companies – Collaboration with various individuals to protect brands on various marketplaces websites, domains, cyberlockers, video platforms, mobile apps, and search engines.  

• Continuous Monitoring – Across the various platforms to combat infringement and safeguard the brand’s digital integrity.  

Let’s understand this with a use case of the banking sector  

A major Indian bank wanted to protect its online presence to prevent fraud from happening to its customers. It was nearly impossible for them to monitor everything manually. 

Bank needed a solution that could easily scale up with their needs and monitoring to protect their online presence.   

mFilterIt Brand Protection Solution uses sophisticated technology of open-source intelligence to scan the internet for monitoring potential threats. Through machine learning (ML) a large amount of data is collected such as images, videos, and texts, and there is a confidence score to determine how likely these were fraudulent.  

The total number of cases – 2,37,565 (Impact period to Jun) 

 Successful Takedowns- 231,018 of these threats.  

The action was taken across 10 different online platforms on average it took 48 hours to resolve a case and remove the threat. 95% rate of successful takedowns with precision. 

Conclusion  

As brands navigate the complexities of the digital world, brand protection is no longer optional, it is essential. With social media, anything can be accessed with just a few clicks, be it gaining a reputation or losing it.  

Our comprehensive solution combines trademark protection and concerns related to its violation to provide your brand with all-encompassing online protection. By leveraging AI-ML comprehensive monitoring brands can empower themselves to survive in the world of fraudsters and imitators. 

Get in touch to learn more about the Brand Infringement.