INTHEMATTEROFDEVELOPMENTOFTHEJOINTSTRATEGICPLANFOR
INTELLECTUALPROPERTYENFORCEMENT
COMMENTSOF
ETSY,FOURSQUARE,KICKSTARTER,MEETUP,ANDSHAPEWAYS
October16,2015
Introduction
Commentersareonlineserviceproviders(OSPs)thatconnectmillionsofcreators,designers,andsmall
businessownerstoeachother,totheircustomers,andtotheworld.OSPsareacriticalplatformfor
freespeechandeconomicactivitythatempowerindividualsandsmallbusinessestoeasilypostcontent
onlineandconnecttoaglobalaudience.Commentersappreciatetheopportunitytoparticipateinthis
proceeding.
OSPs’keyroleintheonlineecosystemderivesinpartfromtheirmassaccessibility.OSPsempower
millionsofuserstocreateandpublishcontentwithalowbarriertoentry.BeforeOSPsexisted,people
neededconsiderableresourcestowidelydisseminatetheircontent.Today,user-generatedcontent
reachesaglobalaudienceaftersimplyacceptinganOSP’stermsofuse.
However,thismassaccessibilitypresentsapotentialconflictaffectingthefreeflowofideas,the
disseminationofinnovation,andsmallbusiness-fueledeconomicgrowth.WhenOSPsareexposedto
liabilityforthebehavioroftheirusers,itrestrictstheOSPs’abilitytosupportthefreewheeling
communitiesthathavebeenthebasisforsomucheconomic,cultural,andpoliticalactivity.
Congresshasrecognizedandpartiallyaddressedthisdangerbypassinglawssuchassection230ofthe
CommunicationsDecencyAct(CDA)andtheonlinesafeharborsoftheDigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct
(DMCA).CongresswiselydeclinedtoholdOSPsresponsible,forexample,forreviewingeverypieceof
user-generatedwritingforpossibledefamationclaimsoranalyzingeveryimageforpotentialcopyright
issues.TheselawsprotectthebenefitsprovidedbyOSPsbyfocusingliabilityontheindividualusers
directlyresponsibleforallegedproblematicconduct,andlargelyremovingOSPsfromdirectliability
themselves.ThisencouragesdisputesbetweenpartiestoberesolveddirectlywithoutinvolvingOSPs
thatsimplyprovideaplatformforthecontentinquestion.
Astheinternetcontinuestoexpand,Commentersareinauniquepositiontoobservethegrowing
prevalenceofaparticularthreattothefreeflowofinformationenabledbyOSPs.Alackofstatutory
protectionsfromtrademarkinfringementclaimshaspushedCommenterstoreacttomanycomplaints
byunquestioninglyremovingcontentfromtheirsites.Overthelongterm,thisabsenceofprotectionwill
slowthegrowthoffreeexpressionandcommercethathasbeenthehallmarkoftheinternet.Itisthis
concernthatmotivatesCommenters’submission.
Commenters
Etsyisanonlinemarketplacewherepeoplearoundtheworldconnecttomake,sell,andbuyunique
goods.Etsy’smissionistoreimaginecommerceinwaysthatbuildamorefulfillingandlastingworld.
Foursquarecreatestechnologytohelppeopleexploretheworldandprovidesawiderangeoflocation
productsandservicestobusinesses.
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Kickstarteristheworld’sleadingfundingcommunityforcreativeprojects—everythingfromfilms,
games,restaurants,andmusictoart,design,andtechnology.Sincelaunchingin2009,over9.5million
peoplehavepledgednearly$2billiontoprojectsonKickstarter,successfullyfunding95,000creative
ideas.
Meetupistheworld’slargestnetworkoflocalcommunitygroups.Meetupmakesiteasyforanyoneto
organizealocalgrouporfindoneofthethousandsofgroupsalreadymeetingupface-to-face.Wehave
nearly18millionmembers,andmorethan160,000Meetupgroups,allorganizedaroundthethingsthat
matterthemostinpeople’slives.
Shapewaysistheworld’sleading3Dprintingmarketplace.Designerscan3Dprinttheirdesignsand
openshopsofferingtheircustom3Dprintedobjectstothepublic.
TheDangersofTrademarkAbuse
Thethreatofonlineinfringementisreal.OSPsregularlyreceivefaciallylegitimatenoticesofalleged
trademarkinfringementregardingusercontent.Inresponsetothesecomplaints,OSPsgenerally
removematerial.However,Commentatorsalsoreceivetrademarkinfringementcomplaintsthatmaybe
abusive.
Abusivetrademarkenforcementisnotsynonymouswithenforcingrightstothefullestextentallowed
underlaw.Theissueaddressedinthiscommentalsodoesnotrelatetocombatingcounterfeitgoods
beingpassedoffasgenuine.Rather,itreferstothespuriousassertionoftrademarkrightsthatarguably
fallsoutsideofthescopeoftrademarkprotection.Thismayinvolvenegligence–suchasa
misunderstandingofintellectualpropertylawortheunintendedbyproductofanautomated
enforcementmechanismwithoutadequateprotectionagainstfalsepositives.
Worse,however,thespuriouscomplaintmaybesentwiththedeliberateintenttoexertunwarranted
controloverthefreeflowofinformationonline.Therightsholdermayintendtounderminea
competitorortocensorcriticalspeech,forinstance.Whereausersuspectsthatremovalofcontent
wasunwarranted,theusermayattempttorequestthattheOSPreinstatethematerial.Theusermay
argue,forexample,thattheuseisfairuse,licensed,protectedbythefirstsaledoctrine,ormere
comparativeadvertising.
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ExamplesofTrademarkAbuse
Examplesofsuchabuseoccasionallyappearinthemedia.Apoliticalactioncommitteesupportingthe
candidacyofHillaryClintonissuedtakedownrequeststargetingparodiesofitslogo.1Thebasisofthe
requestsinvolvedanunclearmixofcopyrightandtrademarklaw.Morerecently,Republican
presidentialcandidateBenCarsonsenttakedownrequestsregardingtheuseofCarson’snameon
merchandisereferringtohiscandidacy.2AswiththeClinton-relatedissue,thetakedownrequestwas
groundedinanindiscriminategrabbagofintellectualpropertyclaimsincludingtrademarkand
copyright.
Exampleshappenoutsideofthepoliticalrealmaswell.AsCommenterEtsyhasdocumentedinits
recenttransparencyreport,trademark-relatedtakedownnoticesoutnumbercopyright-related
takedownnotices.3CommenterEtsyhasreceivedtrademarkinfringementallegationsinvolvingthe
followingexamples:Agraphicdesignerusesthetrademarkednameofatelevisionshowtodescribe
custominvitationsforaviewingparty.Anartistcreatesahumorousoilpaintingofapopularcartoon
characterandusestheregisteredtrademarknameinthework’stitle.Asmallbusinessowner
repurposesfoodpackagingintopurses,buildingblocksintoearrings,andcutliquorbottlesintocups.
Eachoftheseexampleshasnon-infringementarguments.However,duetoalackoftrademarksafe
harbors,theuserstargetedbythesetakedownrequestsdidnotgettheopportunitytochallengethe
allegationandkeeptheirworkonline.
DangersofTrademarkAbuse
WhileOSPsareprotectedbysafeharborswhenuserssubmitDMCAcounternotices,manyOSPsare
waryofallowingchallengestotrademarkrelatedtakedownrequestsinordertoavoidbeingdrawninto
costlylitigation.Theresultisthatatrademarkclaim–evenonebuiltonaweakfoundation–canbean
effectivewaytopermanentlyquashthespeechoreconomicactivityofothers.
OSPsoftenreceivesomanycomplaintsthattheymustmakequickdecisionsbasedonlimited
informationinthebestinterestofthecompany.ManyOSPsarenotequippedtocompleteextensive
researchormakecomplexlegaldecisionsforaDaviduseragainsttheGoliathrightsholder.Simplyput,
especiallyinedgecases,OSPsoftendonotprovidetheusertheopportunitytochallengecontent
1
MikeMasnick,HillaryClintonPACSendsBogusTakedownOverParodiesOnZazzleandCafePress,TechDirt(June
10,2014)https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140609/17534527530/hillary-clinton-pac-sends-bogus-takedownsover-parodies-zazzle-cafepress.shtml.
2
MikeMasnick,BenCarson’sLawyerThreatensCafePressBecauseBenCarsonSupportersAreCreatingT-Shirts
SupportingCarson(September17,2015)https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150917/11350332285/bencarsons-lawyer-threatens-cafepress-because-ben-carson-supporters-are-creating-t-shirts-supporting-carson.shtml
3
http://blog.etsy.com/news/files/2015/07/Etsy_TransparencyReport_2014.pdf
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removedduetotrademarkclaims.Thismeansthataspurioustrademarkclaim,whichresultsintheOSP
removingmaterialwithoutrecoursefortheuser,canupendtheviabilityofthesmallbusinessesand
individualspeakerswhorelyonOSPs.Aclaimcancausethetargetedusertodiscontinuecreating
productsorspeakinginamannerthatisperfectlylegal,orevenbeneficial,tosocietyasawhole.
Othercostsofabusearelessobvious.Suchcomplaintsdrawresourcesawayfromaddressinginstances
ofactualinfringement.ThismakesitharderforbothOSPsandrightsholderstoaddressbonafidecases
ofinfringementonline.
Further,theseassertionsofrightscanhavethelong-termimpactofunderminingpublicrespectforand
confidenceinintellectualpropertyenforcementbydrivingattentiontostoriesofabusiveandabsurd
actionsbyirresponsiblerightsholders,powerlessusers,andrisk-averseOSPs.Properenforcementcan
onlyoccurinanenvironmentofpublicrespectforintellectualproperty.Asteadystreamofexamplesof
abusecanreducethelegitimacyofrightsholdersasawholeintheeyesofthepublic,thusreducing
publicsupportforenforcementeveninlegitimatecasesofinfringement.
WhereTheyExistSafeHarborsProvideaCheckAgainstOver-Enforcement
Whentheyareinplace,OSPsafeharborshelpprotectagainstover-enforcementbyallowingusersto
pushbackagainstproblematictakedownrequests.First,usersdonotneedpermissionoragreement
fromOSPsprotectedbysafeharborsbeforechallenginganinfringementclaimviewedasillegitimate.
Second,removingtheOSPfromthedecision-makingprocessfacilitatesuserpushbackagainstabusive
claims.Thesechallengescanleadtopubliclitigation,bringingedgecasesintothepublicdiscussion.
KeytounderstandingthevalueofsafeharborsisrecognizingthedifferingviewpointsofOSPsandtheir
users.OSPs–Commentersincluded–mustconsiderthebestinterestsoftheirentireuserbasewhen
evaluatingarequesttotakedownanindividualitem.Withinthatrubric,itisoftenrationaltocomply
withamarginal,butcolorable,requestforanyindividualitemtobetakendowninordertoprotectthe
largerviabilityoftheentiretyoftheuserbaseandavoidcostlylitigationoverasingleitem.
ThisiseventruerforsmallerOSPswhomaybeunabletoaffordlegalfeesrequiredtoconsiderthe
meritsoftheclaim.Facedwiththreatsofanexpensivelawsuitduetoanallegationofinfringement,and
devoidoftheprotectiongrantedbyasafeharbor,startupsandsmallOSPshavemoreincentivetoerr
onthesideofover-accommodation–evenattheexpenseofanindividualuser’sfreespeechand
legitimateactivity.
Individualusershaveasignificantlydifferentperspective.Whatisasinglepieceofcontentamongmany
foraserviceprovidermaybetheuser’slivelihood.Inthosecases,theuser’smotivationtochallenge
over-enforcementismuchgreaterthantheOSP’s.IfOSPshadthesecurityofsafeharborprotections,
OSPswouldnotneedtohinderusersfrompushingbackagainstrightsholderclaimssimplytoavoid
gettinginvolved.
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ItIsTimetoExploreExpandingSafeHarbors
Whilethebenefitsofstatutorysafeharborsareimportant,theyarecurrentlylimitedtodisputesover
copyrightandclaimscoveredbysection230oftheCDA.Nosuchprotectionexistsforsimilarly
problematicbehaviorwithregardtotrademark.Asonlinecontentgrowsandbringsaboutmore
disputes,itisnecessarytoconsiderexpandingexistingsafeharborsorcreatenewonesfortrademarks.
Indeed,somerightsholderstakeadvantageoftheabsenceoftrademarksafeharborsbycombining
trademarkandcopyrightcomplaintsinthesametakedownrequest.Forexample,arightsholdermay
requesttheremovalofusercontentconsistingofacopyright-protectedcharacteranditstrademarkprotectedname.Inpractice,thisallowstherightsholdertosidesteptheDMCAcounternoticeprocess–
designedtobeakeycheckagainstabusivetakedownrequests.Evenifauserintendstochallengethe
copyrightportionoftherequest,thetrademarkportionoftenremainsunchallengeable,resultinginthe
targetedcontentstayingdown.
Creatingappropriatesafeharborsrelatingtotrademarkwouldnotbeassimpleasreplacing“copyright”
with“trademark”intheDigitalMillenniumCopyrightActsafeharborstructure,oraddingtrademarkto
thescopeofprotectionsincludedinSection230oftheCommunicationsDecencyAct.Inthetwo
decadessincetheU.S.Governmenthasengagedwithaconsumerinternet,manylessonshavebeen
learnedaboutwhatworks–andwhatdoesnotwork–increatingonlinesafeharbors.Itwouldbe
irresponsiblenottoapplythoselessonstonewsafeharbors.
Astatutorysafeharborcouldalsoencouragethecreationofpubliclyaccessiblecaselawregarding
trademarks.Currently,thevastmajorityofthesedisputesareresolvedprivatelywithoutpublicscrutiny.
OSPsarelargelylefttocreatetheirownpatchworkofpolicies,hopingthattheirdecisionsstrikea
reasonablebalancebetweenenforcementandexpression.Thisresultsinanuneven,largely
undocumentedshadowdisputeresolutionprocessthatbreedsanunderappreciationforthescopeof
theproblemandalackofuniformrulestohelpguidetheirresolution.
Thebenefitsofstatutorysafeharbors–increasedaccountability,publicawareness,anduniformityof
rulestoaddressdisputes–wouldcreateastrongerenvironmentforcreativityandinnovation,while
freeinguptheresourcestofocusonenforcementoflegitimatecasesofinfringement.
Conclusion
Creatingatrademarksafeharborisnotaprocessthatwillhappenimmediately.However,itiswellpast
timetoengageinathoughtful,seriousexplorationofitscreation.Thisexplorationshouldbeinclusive,
designedtotakeintoaccountthemyriadstakeholderswhowouldbeimpactedbythecreationofsafe
harbors.CommentersurgetheIPECtoincorporatesuchaprocessintothenextJointStrategicPlan.
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Respectfullysubmitted,
___________/s/______________
SarahFeingold
Etsy,Inc.
55WashingtonSt.
Suite512
Brooklyn,NY11201
MichalRosenn
Kickstarter,PBC
58KentStreet
Brooklyn,NY11222
DavidPashman
Meetup
632Broadway
10thfloor
NewYork,NY10012
BrianChase
FoursquareLabs,Inc.
568Broadway
NewYork,NY10012
MichaelWeinberg
419ParkAve.South
Suite900
NewYork,NY10016
[email protected]
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