Published June 2021. According to research cited by the European Union Intellectual Property Observatory (EUIPO), “the six most popular social media services now have more than 1 billion users each worldwide. The number of social media users keeps growing in the EU with 65 % of internet users participating in social networks in 2019 and reaching nearly 90 % among 16- to 24-year-olds.”
“This discussion paper explores new and existing trends whereby social media functionalities are misused to infringe IP rights directly, to support IP-infringing activities happening through other channels, or to provide information on such activities. It identifies some of the challenges faced by IP owners, law enforcement authorities and social media companies in addressing these trends. Most importantly, it lists the preventive and reactive good practices developed by social media services to counteract these trends.”
Access this report: SOCIAL MEDIA – DISCUSSION PAPER New and existing trends in using social media for IP infringement activities and good practices to address them, June 2021
