| Unauthorised use of the trademark logo on social media on a massive scale has led to frequent legal conflicts between trademark holders, social media providers and internet users and legal uncertainty. The thesis concludes that trademark infringement and dilution laws in the U.S. and EU are inadequate to solve this problem. The trademark logo on social media should be protected against unauthorised use, even though it is not used to sell the good or service the trademark indicates, but is used in a commercial environment. Two premises for any solution are that first the enforcement should be made automatic, since litigation on a case-by-case basis is not scalable, and second that the safe harbour provisions for online service providers, that aggravate the problem, should be substituted for strict liability. The trademark logo can be seen as the personification of the trademark holder, and one can argue that the stability of the trademark logo is not only in the interest of the trademark holder but also of society at large. One can argue that trademark dilution already provides a kind of moral right of integrity for the trademark logo. However, this right is limited to trademark logos that are considered famous or have a reputation, and, moreover, that are used in a commercial way. This thesis argues that also the trademark logo that did not reach the requested level of fame or reputation and is used in a non-commercial way should also be protected against unauthorised use on social media. Therefore the moral right of integrity is proposed for the trademark logo. Until the law will be amended to include a moral right of integrity for the trademark logo, this thesis suggests to implement proactive solutions in the walled gardens of social media as a testing ground for potential legislation. This automated solution is scalable, makes intellectual property protection and enforcement not only effective but also more calibratable to social policy goals and will inevitable lead to an algorithmic justice. |
