I have previously suggested (here) that general counsels could analyze the blogosphere as an early warning system for potential legal issues. Blogs as radar is now happening in consumer markets.
Last Thursday, the Wall Street Journal, in Marketers Scan Blogs for Brand Insights (free WSJ content), that a “growing number of marketers are using new technology to analyze blogs and other “consumer-generated media” … to hear what is being said online about new products… Purveyors of the new methodology and their clients say blog-watching can be cheaper, faster and less biased than such staples of consumer research as focus groups and surveys.”
For companies interested in preventive law, trying blog analysis seems worth investigating. Many companies already pay outside services to scan the Web for use of their trademarks. This goes a step further to analyze potential trends or mentions that could affect the company’s overall legal health.