With over 1 billion Facebook users, half a billion Twitter users
and hundreds of millions of YouTube users, the popularity of social
media has created opportunities for businesses – but also
room for mischief when it comes to usernames. So what can a
trademark owner do when it discovers that someone has used its
trademark as a username? Twitter, YouTube and Facebook each have
policies that address usernames. Their policies have changed over
time and may still change. Although the sites do not mediate
disputes, they are prepared to take action and may reclaim or
release usernames in certain circumstances. If their policies do
not help, a trademark owner can attempt to negotiate; if this is
unsuccessful, the courts may provide recourse. However,
consideration must first be given to whether the use of the
username relates to a clear case of trademark infringement or
impersonation, whether the content is fan or criticism content,
whether the account is inactive, what
