WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—The International Cycling Law Association (ICLA) is launching a free bi-monthly legal webinar series addressing a variety of legal issues of importance to the global cycling industry.
The first webinar entitled Social Media: Pros and Legal Cons will take place at Monday, November 16, at noon (EST). The free online program features speakers Chris Matthews, global marketing integrations manager of Specialized Bicycles; Carlton Reid, executive editor of trade publication BikeBiz.com; Tom Williams, an intellectual property law partner at Howrey LLP; and Eric Fingerhut, Howrey LLP partner and Founder of the ICLA. The program is being co-sponsored by Howrey LLP.
The ICLA’s program on Social Media will be followed in January, March and May 2010 with webinars addressing Best Practices Related to Patenting Bicycle Related Inventions; Insurance Coverage; and Products Liability and Consumer Products Safety Litigation. Details of these programs, including the faculty, will be announced in the near future.
“We are pleased to show our value to the cycling industry by delivering this free webinar series,” said ICLA founder, Eric Fingerhut. “Affordable legal education is at the core of the ICLA’s mission, and this is exactly the kind of empowering programming the industry needs.”
The kick-off webinar will focus on social media and the bicycle industry. The industry has proven it is on the cutting edge of harnessing the commercial power of social media to build brands and win customers. Lance Armstrong’s daily “tweets” during the 2009 Tour de France were followed by millions. During Interbike last month in Las Vegas industry leaders held “tweetups” and provided real-time discussion of new products, reports on seminars, cyclocross and crit race results and thousands of photographs.
However, social media also poses legal risks. Defamatory statements, trademark infringement, passing off, profile hijacking, rogue employees and false advertising by violating the FTC’s new rules relating to truth in blogging are just some of the issues bicycle companies must now consider when jumping into the stream of social media.
Anyone interested in signing up for this free webinar may do so by sending Eric Fingerhut an email at eric.fingerhut@cyclinglaw.org.
