INTA, the International Trademark Association, is a group of nearly six thousand trademark professionals in 190 countries.  They protect the world’s brands.

They’re being Twitter-squatted.  There’s no pretty way to say it.

In 2007, someone apparently seized their name as a Twitter handle and posted one five letter word, “srrrr”.

This looks like a case of first-mover advantage again trumping mark holder in social media.

So what’s the lesson here: that squatting can happen to anyone, anywhere; that Twitter is tough; or that someone needs to drink their INTA juice?