CitizenHawk Introduces Cloud-Based Online Brand Protection Platform
June 8, 2012
CitizenHawk, a global provider of online brand protection and enforcement services, has introduced a powerful online brand protection tool and offering it to clients on a subscription basis.
HawkDiscovery is a cloud-based technology platform that enables users to search the entire Web and detect use of trademarked terms and phrases, helping uncover instances of brand abuse ranging from counterfeiting to cybersquatting. It also permits monitoring of content on specific websites and produces alerts notifying users of new activity. HawkDiscovery features a fully integrated workflow and case management system that acts as a kind of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for brand protection. The system lets users analyze and assess particular instances of online infringement, determine appropriate responses, and manage remediation activities from initial detection through final resolution – with every action tracked, recorded and shared with appropriate personnel.
“Major companies realize their brands are among their most precious corporate assets, and they spend enormous amounts of time and money promoting them to consumers, investors and others,” said David Duckwitz, CitizenHawk’s president and chief executive. “Unfortunately, the more well known and popular a brand is, the more attractive it becomes to typosquatters and others seeking to exploit it on the Internet. Marketing, legal, compliance and IT professionals now have a way to fight back with cost effective tools that not only can uncover such abuse but effectively respond to it.”
CitizenHawk is also introducing an array of complementary online brand protection tools, each designed to detect a specific form of online brand infringement. While each of these tools has a specific function and capability, they are all seamlessly integrated into the HawkDiscovery platform.
HawkTypos – can generate literally thousands of domain-name permutations, confirm whether such domains are registered, and identify common ownership, notwithstanding efforts to obfuscate such ownership via asset shielding or inexpensive privacy services.
HawkImages – is a powerful tool for determining how a company’s logo and other proprietary images are being used – or misused – on the Internet. HawkImages’ advanced pixelation technology can help confirm whether business partners are fully compliant with agreed-upon standards. It also can detect unauthorized use, such as false claims of affiliation.
HawkAuctions – continuously monitors brands on the world’s top auction, exchange and classified advertising sites – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Users can obtain real-time information to permit fast response; assess impact based on product identification, sales volume and pricing (e.g., unauthorized discounting); and detect sales patterns and identify sellers operating under numerous aliases. HawkAuctions’ automated processes fully support eBay’s VeRO (Verified Rights Owner) and NOCI (Notice of Claimed Infringement) programs.
HawkKeywords – enables users to ascertain whether affiliate publishers are complying with the specific terms of marketing agreements. It also provides valuable competitive intelligence by showing where competitors rank in search paid placement, and provides insights on their keyword bidding strategies – including whether they are actually bidding inappropriately on trademark terms.
HawkSocial – Lets users monitor what people are saying about their brand(s) on the world’s most popular social networks, while measuring the sentiment of such communications. It can provide a fast, easy-to-read “footprint” of a brand’s social media presence, whether by geography or by specific social network.
HawkUDRP – Gives users a powerful tool for pursuing and winning UDRPs (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy). CitizenHawk, one of the world’s most successful filers of UDRPs, has taken advantage of its expertise to create an automated system that allows users to collect evidence, generate necessary documentation and complete the domain recover process quickly and cost effectively.
“While we offer extensive levels of customer support, we’ve designed these tools for ease of use, enabling virtually anyone to begin benefitting from them almost immediately,” said Duckwitz.