https://news.bitshares.org/wp-content/uploads/First-Initiative-with-BitShares-Trademark.jpg

BitShares needs to streamline its branding and social media appearance across the globe to strengthen its reputation and create a unified and seamless branding experience and outreach for on-boarding businesses. Abuse, non-consensus use, or unauthorized use of the BitShares name and logo in general has done more harm than good to this blockchain in the past. Regardless of whether those past attempts had good intentions, this initiative with BitShares trademark will be introducing legally enforceable rules towards use of Social Media and Publishing under the name of BitShares.

Call to 'BitShares' Branded Appearances

If you're running any social media accounts, company, brand or otherwise utilizing the 'BitShares' name or logo -- and want to continue doing to for the benefit of the blockchain -- please contact us.

Please be aware of this public notification. If you fail to act we need to consider your Social Media presence as deprecated, abandoned or fraudulent. This may result in further legal steps towards the provider of the social media outlet. Beyond that, we cannot control what the Social Media websites do with your account upon receiving a complaint from us as the trademark owner.

BitShares with Move Institute as the trademark representative will act upon all accounts necessary, following EU copyright/trademark law at the moment. The actions you can take, and the consequences for not doing so are detailed below.

Remark: You don't necessarily need to lose your social media account and content. This initiative aims to consolidate and streamline Social Media that appears as "official" and give guidelines for it. It does not aim to take over everything. The general guideline is simple and we are happy to discuss that with you, thus we are calling to you to initiate contact.

Scenario - Social Media Account

We have found three different cases to handle:

A) Social Media page/channel handle contains the name BitShares (or likeness i.e. 'bitshares' lower caps)

Options (either or):

Ensure that you appear as someone utilizing the BitShares blockchain and do not represent BitShares itself
Handover of the account while original owner remains moderator with publishing rules
Original owner deletes the account
A legal request for account handover and/or termination is sent to the provider

B) Profile headline, display name, contains BitShares and/or using logo and description (regardless of actual @handle)

Options (either or):

Ensure that you appear as someone utilizing the BitShares blockchain and do not represent BitShares itself
Rename the profile (i.e. public/headline name) and remove any content that represents miss-information or false representation of BitShares and any software containing its name through that profile
Original owner deletes the account
A legal request for content removal or account termination is sent to the provider

C) Known handle/operation operating a scam/misrepresentation about or over BitShares

No options, all of the below will happen:

A legal request for account termination is sent to the provider
Reported to relevant authorities with blockchain forensic evidence (above all, collected by expert BitShares team members). If you are the account owner and want to come forward to us on your own doing, you may do so and this will be highlighted to the authorities

Remark: In cases where no amicable agreement can be made, the trademark owner reserves the right to claim its trademark rights, that may among others result in compensation payment due to unlawful acts of unlicensed use via court/legal actions.

Scenario - Company

My registered Company has 'BitShares' in the name, what now?

Use the BitShares.org contact link to receive formal process of providing information in accordance with requests from Move Institute (Slovenia) who will liaise with you for issuing approval. This will also be relevant to companies wishing to be formally or informally listed on different web properties of BitShares.org.

My company is building on the BitShares blockchain, what should I do?

There is no issue with doing so and highlighting this on your website. The BitShares blockchain is supporting all legit businesses building on top of it, and this will require no approval by the trademark owner. We would still like to invite you to contact us to include you in our global marketing efforts.

Appendix

Identified Social Media Accounts/Pages/Channels

Below you can check the list of identified accounts grouped by each social network (in no particular order). Please check the steps above, and then reach out if you still have questions. If you know of any owners or admins of these accounts, please pass this article on. We can be reached via Telegram, Contact page or via email.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This is official publication by "Zavod Premik, Murska Sobota" (eng. "Move Institute"), signed and authorized on behalf of Acting CEO - Milos Preocanin.

Posted from BitShares News using SteemPress, see: https://news.bitshares.org/trademark-initiative-streamlining-social-media/

Call to 'BitShares' Branded Appearances

Scenario - Social Media Account

Scenario - Company

Appendix

Identified Social Media Accounts/Pages/Channels

YouTube Channels:

Facebook Pages and Profiles:

Twitter Handles: