Special to TCPalm
Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross respond to questions about Florida community association law. The firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, civil litigation, estate planning and commercial transactions.
We recently have had a group of residents start a social media site for discussions about life in our community. The page appears to be “official” as it uses our community's name and logo.
The comment section quickly became a gripe session and occasionally has content that is “adult” in nature. What can we do to make it clear this page is not authorized by the board and has no official ties to the association?
With social media becoming the primary way many people communicate, forums such as the one you describe are becoming more prevalent. However, the name and logo of the association remains its intellectual property and unauthorized use can be — and in most cases should be — curtailed.
Permitting unauthorized usage of the association’s intellectual property can lead to the “dilution” of a trade name or trademark and weaken the association’s ability to protect it. In addition to usage in social media forums, dilution can occur as businesses and vendors in the neighboring community try to cash in on the association’s brand and reputation.
Whether this is a local car wash, shopping center or a realtor’s website, failure to address this encroachment...
Read Full Story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/specialty-publications/2021/09/05/unauthorized-use-of-association-intellectual-property-should-be-curtailed/5678456001/
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