A Facebook page with 47,000+ members (fans) was deleted today. The site used the Trademarked term “REALTOR” in an unauthorized manner Facebook.com/socialrealtors.
The owner, Jonathan Rivera had been contacted by N.A.R. regarding the improper use of the Trademark. Jonathan said he was trying to reach someone at Facebook about changing the url. Facebook didn’t respond, instead they deleted the site.
Oops!
Two years of building a valuable site now gone.
Lessons to be learned?
- Pay attention when naming a business (fan) page on Facebook. The terms clearly state the rules.
- If you are a REALTOR or a vendor who plans to use the Trademarked term, familiarize yourself the the acceptable uses of the term. No excuses here.
Jonathan Rivera sorry about your site, I’m sure you are heartbroken. I know it’s not much of a condolence, but I’m sure with your track record you can recreate the site and it will be bigger and better than before, also in compliance!
Photo Credit: IStockPhotosRelated Posts:
Related posts:
Seasoned bloggers or those who are just beginning will find this resource worth it's weight in gold!
I am sorry too – but this is one of those things you are warned about time and time again…. we all know better and if you don’t you should. It is a shame that he spent that much time and effort – but it is what it is and fair is fair.
Krista… wow, but you do point out some basics. People just need to pay attention what they put on their sites. We just had someone from the VA office in Cleveland in our office today. She said they are going after a few companies that have the VA seal on their ads and such… to me, that is just plain stupid… especially those that make these ads look like they are from HUD or the VA… common sense? Nah, they have it… they just take that risk for the almighty dollar. Thanks for the tip and food for thought.. Jeff
Jeff, It never ceases to amaze me how foolish some people can be. I hope the VA puts a stop to it. Misrepresentation is never right.
kk