IP for Social Media Creators

For social media content creators and influencers, building a strong brand is everything. Safeguarding your intellectual property assets — such as trademarks, patents, and copyrights — is vital for achieving lasting success. With more than two decades of experience in IP law, attorney Sarah Walkington serves as a trusted legal advisor to influencers and content creators across the U.S. Sarah’s personalized approach and cost-effective solutions provide value to every client.

Intellectual Property Protection

Creating a successful social media presence depends on brand recognition to establish consumer trust and confidence and stand out from the crowd. Securing legal protection for your original content and brand identifiers is essential to growing and maintaining a loyal following. Virtually every creator or influencer uses a trademark, such as a social media handle or business name, to establish and cultivate their brand. A trademark can be an identifiable design, symbol, word, or phrase that sets you apart from others. Registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office is an indispensable step to ensure complete legal protection for your trademark. For those who offer products via social media, design patents or utility patents may provide further protection. A design patent protects the original ornamental design for a product, while a utility patent covers a process, machine, product, composition of matter, or improvements of the same. Copyright infringement is a significant risk faced by social media creators and influencers. Federal copyright laws protect original works of authorship, such as written content, videos, photographs, blogs, vlogs, graphics, and other tangible creations from the moment of creation. But registration with the United States Copyright Office is necessary to establish full protection.

Walkington Law: Your Partner in Brand Protection

As a United States Patent and Trademark Office registered attorney, Sarah Walkington draws on more than 20 years of experience in intellectual property law to provide top-notch legal services for social media creators. Her services include:

• Evaluating eligible intellectual property assets
• Counseling on applicable laws and registration processes
• Registering trademarks to protect your brand and product names
• Securing copyright protection for original creative content
• Securing patent protection for original products
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating IP-related legal agreements, such as affiliate agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and Name Image Likeness (NIL) Agreements
• Addressing post-registration IP matters
• Monitoring trademarks for potential infringement
• Offering pre-litigation enforcement options, including cease-and-desist letters and Digital Millennial Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices

If litigation becomes necessary, Sarah provides a referral to a highly qualified IP litigation lawyer. She also provides litigation support services as part of her freelance IP practice. To learn more about Sarah’s services for specific types of intellectual property rights, please visit the individual practice pages for patents, trademarks, and copyrights.