Are you worried about unauthorized use of your logo? Do you want to protect it from illegal use? If so, this guide is worth reading. It will reveal some practical ways to strengthen the security around your brand's logo.
Whether you are a startup, a small business, or a large enterprise, this post is equally beneficial for you. So don’t miss out on anything. Ready to get started? Let's begin by learning why it's necessary to be careful about your logo's usage.
Why Is Logo Protection Essential?
Your logo is not just a piece of design. It's the identity of your business. From your audience to competitors, everyone knows your brand from its logo. So, when someone steals it and uses it fraudulently, your brand is considered responsible for the damages.
This lowers your image in front of your potential customers and weakens your position in the market. That's why it's essential to take proactive measures to stop the face of your company from being misused by anyone.
Effective Practices To Protect Logos from Illegal Use
Now that you understand why protecting your logo is important, let's explore some practical methods for doing so.
Monitor The Use Of Your Logo Regularly
A key strategy to safeguard your brand's logo from misuse is regularly checking its online appearance. However, since the internet is so vast, it could be nearly impossible to know where your logo is being used. Fortunately, visual search technology offers a robust solution in this regard. It has opened the gates to many advanced image searches.
So, just access a cutting-edge reverse image search tool and upload your logo to it. The tool will instantly compare your logo with billions of indexed pictures and find the exact and partial matches. A quick photo search for your logo can reveal where it’s featured online, so you can act fast against the person using it without your permission.
Apply Restriction On Image Saving
One of the most common ways cybercriminals steal your logo is simply saving it from your website. Many businesses ignore restricting their visitors from downloading pictures from their sites. This minor mistake leads them to provide an opportunity for fraudsters to grab their logo in just a few clicks.
Remember, you should be careful about this matter. If you wish for no one to save your logo from your site for unauthorized use, simply disable the “Save Image As” option. Doing so adds a strong layer of protection to your company's logo.
Block Screenshots To Stop Logo Theft
Many people bypass image-saving restrictions by simply taking a screenshot of the whole web page or a particular area. A simple yet effective way to prevent logo theft due to such attempts is blocking the screenshots on your website. This practice secures your business's monogram by covering it under an additional security layer.
If you built the site on a popular CMS like WordPress, you will only have to integrate a plugin for this purpose. However, if your website is custom-built, you can block screenshots by adding Javascript snippets to your code.
Register Your Logo As A Trademark
Understanding what a trademark is and how to trademark a business name is essential for protecting your logo and securing exclusive rights to its use. It is one of its strongest protections. Once you do so, you acquire the exclusive rights to use it within your industry wherever you want. This gives you ownership and acts as a legal declaration that no one can use a similar monogram to confuse customers.
If you haven't already registered your logo, now is the time to do so. Otherwise, someone else may register the same logo, requiring you to use it again. Trademark registration involves some paperwork and fees, but the long-term benefits are worth it.
Back Your Logo With Copyright Protection
Copyright protection is another legal shield you can add between your logo security and offenders. Since a logo is considered an intellectual asset, copyright laws automatically apply when you create an original and unique visual identity for your brand.
However, by officially registering your logo with a government or private copyright agency, you gain legal support in case of unauthorized use. Moreover, documenting rights to your business’s identity enables you to file proof-based DMCA takedowns against thieves.
Hire Digital Right Management Services
If you are a busy professional and don't have time to keep an eye on the unauthorized use of your logo, don't worry. Digital rights management (DRM) services are out there to help you relieve your shoulder of this burden. These service providers safeguard your digital content, including logos.
They continuously monitor your brand's overall appearance to see who is misrepresenting you by using your visuals or logo. The best part is that they instantly alert you in such cases with a detailed report on who is breaching your rights and the intensity of the violation.
Add Your Ownership In Logo's Metadata
Adding your ownership in metadata is another proactive measure you can take to protect your logo. While it doesn't directly stop the offender from unauthorized use, this practice enables you to create strong evidence that the logo belongs to you. Consequently, it strengthens your stance if the matter goes to the court.
So, wherever you upload your logo file, don't forget to include your company's name in its administrative metadata. You can easily do so by simply right-clicking on the file, going to properties, and navigating to the details section.
To Sum Up
In short, protecting your logo is essential to maintaining your brand identity and reputation. The above-mentioned methods offer robust protection for your logo. So, never hesitate to apply them practically and make the most of them. We recommend applying multiple techniques to better defend against cybercriminals.
