WWE get's tough

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

This comes form pwinsider.com


WWE HIRES COMPANY TO TRACK DOWN PEOPLE ILLEGALLY SELLING THEIR PRODUCTS ON EBAY
by Dave Scherer @ 5:45:00 PM on 2/16/2006


WWE HIRES COMPANY TO TRACK DOWN PEOPLE ILLEGALLY SELLING THEIR PRODUCTS ON EBAY

World Wrestling Entertainment(R) Selects MarkMonitor to Fight Online Counterfeit Sales

Auction Monitoring System Detects and Shuts Down Unlicensed Auctions

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 16, 2006 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- MarkMonitor(R), the leader in online corporate identity protection, today announced that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has selected MarkMonitor's Auction Monitoring(TM) solution to monitor the sale of WWE(R) branded goods on eBay and to automate requests to terminate counterfeit and other unauthorized auctions. MarkMonitor's Auction Monitoring solution is the newest addition to its integrated suite of online Brand and Fraud Protection services that provide end-to-end detection and aggressive response to a growing list of corporate identity-based threats from misappropriation of trademark rights, to unauthorized online sales of gray market and counterfeit goods to phishing.

More than $34 billion worth of merchandise exchanges hands annually at online retail auction sites; and while online retail and wholesale auctions have become major vehicles for the sale and distribution of legitimate products globally, they've also become a distribution channel for gray market sales and counterfeiters. A two year customer of MarkMonitor's Brand Protection(TM), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), creator of the popular television and pay-per-view shows such as Monday Night RAW(R), Friday Night SmackDown(R), and WrestleMania(R), turned to MarkMonitor to address the increasing role of online auctions as a source of counterfeit DVDs/Videos and lost revenue.

"The trademark offenses are flagrant. I frequently identify counterfeiters on eBay selling illegal copies of our programming, Home Video releases, and counterfeit clothing," said WWE associate counsel of intellectual property, Stacy Papachristos. "I used to spend several hours each day searching eBay manually for offenses. With MarkMonitor's new auction monitoring capability, I'll receive a daily automated snapshot of suspicious auctions and suspect resellers. Using one integrated workflow system, I can determine whether to send a cease and desist letter, to report the offense to eBay or, in the most egregious cases, request a suspension of the seller, and determine the necessity of further legal action."

MarkMonitor's Auction Monitoring gives corporations control of their brands and how their products -- legitimate as well as counterfeit -- are sold on online auction sites through a comprehensive corporate identity management solution that may also include domain management and fraud and brand protection. The service scans auction sites, identifies and prioritizes the abuses that are most costly or of greatest concern, and enables automated responses which allow for swift, meaningful action on violations.

"Online markets are growing rapidly, and unfortunately they are ideal for gray marketers and counterfeiters. It is no longer possible for companies to manually monitor fraudulent sales and brand abuse, much less take action and track results. MarkMonitor's Auction Monitoring and other Brand Protection systems automatically find, prioritize and present the most serious problems, and then automate and track shutdown, cease and desist letters and other actions in a central case management system," said Mark Shull, CEO of MarkMonitor.

About MarkMonitor

MarkMonitor is the global leader in delivering comprehensive online corporate identity protection services, Making the Internet Safe for Business(TM). MarkMonitor's integrated Brand and Fraud Protection(TM) platform provides full life-cycle management, including early warning, real-time detection, and investigation and response, to a wide and growing list of identity-based online security problems faced by corporations today. These solutions are enabled by a comprehensive brand and fraud intelligence network that monitors for inappropriate or fraudulent use of a corporate name or identity anywhere in the Internet, including web sites, search engines, major email systems, domain name systems, registries, message boards, blogs, chat rooms, and auctions. For more on MarkMonitor, please refer to www.markmonitor.com.

About World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. Information on television ratings and community activities can be found at parents.wwe.com.

NOTE: The names of all WWE programming, talent, images, likenesses, and logos, are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

SOURCE MarkMonitor
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WWE is really getting tough on this copyright infringement stuff aren't they.

Mr. WikipediaSpamBot

They should be getting tough on this, trademarks exist for a reason and people shouldn't be allowed to willfully infringe on them. I'm glad WWE is doing this to stop people from selling counterfeit merchandise.

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

I think if they are going to stop this they should start selling the pay per views on d.v.d. As far as I know they don't now.