[Sue first, think later] The Lones Group v Rothamel, a Real Estate Zebra firestorm
It's always exciting when there is something interesting in the REnet. A firestorm erupted in the social media world when The Lones Group sued Daniel Rothamel for trademark infringement.
The usual disclaimer, I am not an attorney and I am not commenting in any way about the validity of the lawsuit.
But what this post is all about is how your online reputation can be destroyed in minutes if you don't think ahead about the consequences of your actions.
That is exactly what Jay Thompson, The Phoenix Real Estate Guy suggested and that post has 187 comments and many more likes on Facebook and retweets on Twitter.
I won't rehash all the ugly details, suffice it to say that a company that markets services to real estate agents probably lost as much future income (or more) from potential clients in the real estate industry than they will receive if and when they win the lawsuit.
And plenty of other heavy hitters weighed in as well.
Chris Brogan, Are Zebras Endangered
Benn Rosales at AgentGenius, Would the real Zebra please stand up
Drew Myers at Virtual Results, Lones Group Brand Suicide
I can only wonder what the late, great Joseph Ferrara might have thought about all this.