BizSugar.com › Legal › Netflix Abandons Qwikster Brand, Provides Important Lessons on Trademark Issues for Small Business Owners

Netflix's recent Qwikster debacle provides insight on two key issues that small business owners face in selecting and adopting new trademarks for their companies. First, small business owners need to clear proposed trademarks to make sure they are not already in use (for example, by a "pot-smoking Elmo" on Twitter). Second, small business owners need to protect their trademarks early in the process in order to protect their exclusive rights.