The internet’s boundless borders have paved the way for small businesses to become international. Businesses that operate online also maintain multiple platforms of operation, including a website and social media accounts, and thereby increasing visibility and access to both consumers and potential brand abusers alike.

Having brand protection that spans borders and countries is becoming increasingly important. The increased risks that brands may face when operating online can take the following forms:

• Counterfeiting (in which a product imitates an authentic brand through its products, logos, and trademarks, but does so unofficially);
• Rogue websites (which are created as a way to take advantage of an existing brand’s trademarks, to rely on easily made mistakes through typos, and/or to pass themselves off as an existing website);
• Copyright policy (in which a counterfeiter copies artistic, literary and scientific works seen online);
• Trademark squatting (which is holding onto or registering trademarks “in bad faith,” affecting brands that have not yet registered abroad);
• Patent theft (in which an innovator’s invention or designs are used without permission);
• Social media impersonation (which are unofficial third parties that create social media accounts to imitate authentic brands, “then use their fake profiles to sell counterfeits, send users to phishing pages, and sometimes to distribute harmful malware”).

Businesses should take extra measures to protect their brand and intellectual property online by performing trademark availability research. This includes checking the availability for registration or for use of a proposed trademark in all relevant jurisdictions. It will smoothly pave the way for ensuring transparency and clarity during operation, and it also ensures that you aren’t infringing on someone else’s intellectual property.

If simultaneous brand protection across various countries cannot be completed, it’s wise to start small and grow from there. For example, you’ll want to start protecting your brand in the countries of current sales first, and then expand protections to countries with forecasted sales and activity within the next three to four years.