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BIG TRADEMARK BROTHER IS WATCHING YOUIMAGINE KRAFT FOODS INC.'S dismay when it found out that its trademark name Velveeta was being widely used in cyberspace--but not to describe low-cost cheese spread. Among nerds, the word is slang for drippingly ornate Web pages. Now, Kraft and other companies trying to protect their brand names and reputations in cyberspace can fight back--with an Internet tracking service called MarkWatch. Offered by Datalytics, a Chicago software company, MarkWatch tracks the usage of selected words and text throughout the Net's bulletin boards, Web pages, addresses, and public news wires--the areas most prone to abuse. If a client's brand or company name gets mentioned, possibly by an overzealous competitor or cyberprankster, MarkWatch makes note of the exact location and date when it first noticed it. It can even record a sort of digital snapshot of the name's appearance, which it stores in time-stamped and tamperproof form for use as evidence in court. The fee: $895 a year. MarkWatch hasn't revealed any takers yet. EDITED BY ROBERT D. HOF By John W. Verity
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Updated June 14, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1996, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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