Ownership in an online world

Perhaps one of the most beneficial off-shoots of an online world is the ability to market yourself relatively free of charge. Whether it be through blogging, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or personal websites, the opportunities for individuals to create their own brand are seemingly endless.

But what happens when that brand, which often comprises your online identity, is compromised?

A recent story on The Opinion Pages of The New York Times addresses this exact hypothetical in very real terms.

Delia Ephron is an author who relies heavily on web traffic to sell books and promote upcoming projects. When she recently noticed that her domain name was “for sale,” she was quickly forced to come to terms with the fickle nature of online branding.

A family member who had been tasked with managing her website let the renewal deadline pass and as a result, the domain name was snatched up.

“Someone else owned my name,” she said in The New York Times piece. “Someone could use it to say or show pretty much anything they wanted. I felt violated,” she said.

Ephron goes on to chronicle her experience of losing and re-gaining her domain name. She discusses the claim that she filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization essentially asserting, in her own words, “that my name was well enough known to be, in effect, a trademark.” The WIPO agreed with her and ordered that the rights to the domain name be transitioned back into her hands.

Moral of the story goes something like this: know your rights when it comes to intellectual copyright and online publishing. Be vigilant when it comes to renewing domain names and be sure to Google yourself every now and then. You might be surprised by the results.

 

2 responses to “Ownership in an online world”

  1. rob

    I don’t get it? why do I need to google myself every now and then?

    1. sdooling

      Hi Rob,
      That’s a great question and one that we’ve addressed in a previous blog post.

      In the case of Delia Ephron, she originally discovered that her website domain name was “for sale” by doing a quick search for her site. It’s always a good idea to be aware of what other people can find when they search for you – whether it be a prospective employer or university admissions official. Sometimes inaccurate or inappropriate information seeps into the mix and it’s up to you to be the watchdog.

      Hope this response was helpful and thanks for reading!

Leave a Reply