Impersonation in Social Media

Copyright 2010, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Originally published in Blakes Bulletin on Intellectual Property: Social Media Series - Brand Protection, September 2010

There are many potential pitfalls for companies that choose to be active on social networking sites. One such pitfall is social media impersonation.

Background

There are three main types of pages on social networking sites: personal pages; branded pages; and community pages. Personal pages are operated by individuals.

Branded pages are operated by organizations and are used to provide general information about the organization and promote the goods and services offered by a business or the goods or services of another organization, e.g., www.facebook.com/blakes." Businesses use branded pages to gain valuable feedback about goods and services, drive additional sales and open a dialogue that can both strengthen brand loyalty and attract new customers.