IP Update

Common Short Codes: The Next Venue for Trademark Disputes?

May 15, 2007

Julia Anne Matheson and Anna Bonny Chauvet, in Finnegan's Trademark and Copyright Practice Group, explore the increasing trend of common short codes in a world obsessed with text messaging.

While even the least tech-savvy person knows about the existence of domain names, even the most tech-savvy trademark attorney may not know about the growing use and importance of common short codes (CSCs) on their client's marketing efforts, or their potential impact on trademark interests. As U.S. companies increasingly embrace text-messaging as a marketing approach, their use of common short codes has soared as a brand-awareness tool. CSCs have the potential to generate millions of dollars in revenue; but current registration processes offer your clients little guarantee of being able to leverage their trademarks in the common short code market. The increasing popularity in the United States of text-messaging and the impact that CSCs has already had on global marketing suggest that this new technology is too important for trademark attorneys to ignore.

Read "Common Short Codes: The Next Venue for Trademark Disputes?"

Copyright © Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP. This article is for informational purposes, is not intended to constitute legal advice, and may be considered advertising under applicable state laws. This article is only the opinion of the authors and is not attributable to Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, or the firm's clients.