MEDIA ALERT: ShareThis Takes Action to Protect Trademark Rights

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 31, 2012) - ShareThis, the world's largest ecosystem for sharing and engagement, today announced that it's now working actively to enforce its trademark rights to assure publishers and consumers that the service behind the widely used Share icon is the trusted ShareThis product.

Consumers have become more aware of online privacy concerns through awareness initiatives by the advertising industry. Therefore ShareThis has re-evaluated its longstanding policy of licensing the Share icon as a universal symbol for sharing, and has increased its trademark policing efforts to ensure that consumers' personal data will be protected. ShareThis values its trusted relationships with the online audience, and this action furthers ShareThis' mission to make sharing a smooth and seamless process for consumers and publishers alike. 

ShareThis has taken the following steps to enforce its trademark rights:

1. Developed and executed on an enforcement and education plan: ShareThis has identified parties that have misused the Share icon, has developed a process for working with these parties to educate them about ShareThis' trademark rights and it has enforced those rights by actively contacting them about the correct licensed use. These parties have been put on legal notice of their obligation to use the marks according to the ShareThis Terms of Use and Guidelines.
2. Developed internal and external policies for educating parties using the Share button, marks and services: ShareThis updated the Publisher Terms, User Terms and General Guidelines to optimize user experience and privacy.
3. Policed the USPTO Trademark Database for confusingly similar marks: ShareThis has succeeded in preventing the registration of confusingly similar trademarks with the USPTO, as well as unlicensed use of those trademarks in the marketplace.
4. Policed social media outlets: ShareThis has monitored various social networks, including Facebook, to prevent squatters and infringers from claiming the ShareThis name and misrepresenting ShareThis in the marketplace.
5. Enforced Rights: ShareThis has successfully enforced its rights against infringing parties, resulting in full Cease & Desist of infringement. ShareThis has implemented license agreements to secure its rights, working with third parties through agreements and understandings to take all necessary steps to avoid market and consumer confusion.
6. Promotion of Consumer Awareness: ShareThis has moved consumer awareness forward about data security and privacy rights represented by ShareThis and the ShareThis button. 

For more information please see ShareThis' updated Terms of Service:

• Terms of Service: http://sharethis.com/terms#sthash.qyoFRQ1m.dpbs
• Publisher Terms of Service: http://sharethis.com/publisher_terms#sthash.ET6di6A9.dpbs
• Privacy Manifesto: http://sharethis.com/privacy-manifesto#sthash.bWis699d.dpbs

About ShareThis
ShareThis is the largest ecosystem for sharing and engagement across the web, reaching more than 85% of the U.S. population online across more than 1.6 million sites. ShareThis works with the world's top publishers and four out of five of the leading national advertisers to tap into the true influence and value of content online. Based in Palo Alto, CA, the company is privately held.