Trademarks & Social Media: What Every Online Business Needs to Know

If you’re building a business online, whether you’re a coach, course creator, or eCommerce brand, your social media presence is one of your biggest assets.

It’s where you connect with your audience, showcase your offers, and build brand recognition.

But here’s the truth most founders don’t realise until it’s too late: If your brand name isn’t protected with a trademark, your social media accounts are vulnerable.

From username squatting to copycat pages, the risks are real. In this post, we’ll break down:

1. Why trademarks matter for your social media presence
2. The dangers of username squatting and impersonation
3. How trademarks unlock takedown powers across platforms
4. The social proof and authority boost of being trademarked
5. Your next steps to protect your brand online 

1. Why Trademarks Matter for Social Media

Think of your social media accounts as digital storefronts.

• Instagram handles
• TikTok usernames
• YouTube channel names
• Facebook business pages
• Pinterest or X (Twitter) profiles

They’re all prime real estate for your brand online.

But without a registered trademark, you don’t truly own your brand name, even if the handle is yours right now.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

• Social media platforms don’t protect business names by default.
• If someone trademarks your name before you, they can challenge your social handles. 
• Platforms like Instagram and TikTok side with the legal trademark holder in disputes. 

Example Scenario: Losing Your Instagram Handle

Imagine a growing jewellery brand with 15,000 followers on Instagram.

They’ve poured months into content, engagement, and building a loyal audience under their brand name, but they haven’t trademarked it.

Six months later, another business files a trademark for a nearly identical name in the same category.  Instagram sides with the legal trademark holder, and the growing jewellery brand is forced to give up its handle.

The fallout:

• Months of social media effort and content lost
• Followers confused and engagement drops
• Costly rebrand and website update needed

Lesson: On social media, it’s first‑to‑file, not first‑to‑follow.

2. Username Squatting & Impersonation

Username squatting happens when someone registers your desired handle before you do, hoping to:

• Sell it back to you for a high price
• Mislead or scam your audience
• Piggyback off your growing brand

Impersonation is even riskier:

• Scammers copy your brand name and logo
• They DM your followers with fake offers
• They can damage your reputation, or worse, defraud your customers

Without a registered trademark, platforms are slow (or unwilling) to help you.

With a trademark? You can shut them down fast.

3. How Trademarks Unlock Social Media Takedowns 

Here’s the insider tip most founders don’t know:

A trademark is your golden ticket for social media enforcement.

All major platforms, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X, have official trademark complaint processes.

When you have a registered mark, you can:

• File a takedown request for any infringing account or content
• Reclaim a username that matches your trademark
• Stop fake accounts from confusing your audience

And here’s the kicker: You don’t need a lawyer to file these complaints.

Platforms respect trademarks because they don’t want legal liability.

No trademark? Your report often goes to the bottom of the pile.

Real-World Example:

One of our Legally Legit Lounge® members, a digital course creator, discovered:

• 2 fake Instagram accounts using her course name
• They were DM-ing her followers with “discount codes” to scam them

Because she had already registered her trademark:

• Instagram removed both fake accounts within 72 hours
• She secured her handle across all platforms
• Her audience trusted her even more knowing she was the “official” brand