News that Ferrari is fighting a 22-year-old fan over his Facebook fan page of Ferrari raises dilemmas for companies on how to deal with brand protection without alienating fans at the same time.

The issue has occurred to other brands including Coca Cola and Nestle and each company dealt differently with the situation.

Sammy Wasem, an amateur race car driver, and his father Olivier have filed a complaint against Ferrari, claiming copyright infringement as they lost control of their site.

Ferrari has sued the Wasems, arguing they misused the company’s trademark to advertise non-Ferrari merchandise and for personal messages such as invitations for Wasem’s 18th birthday. The Wasems deny making any money from the Ferrari fan page.

When a similar situation happened with Coca Cola, the company ended up hiring the fans and avoiding lawsuits in recognition of the powerful impact of social media. A Brussels’ based intellectual property lawyer said that companies these days try to be friendly to avoid aggressive reaction on the Web. Long legal battles may fuel a backlash from fans on the Internet.

Nestle had a negative experience in 2010 when Greenpeace placed a video clip on YouTube claiming the palm oil sourced by the company is destroying rain forests. The video went viral and attracted 1.5 views, according to Greenpeace.

Nestle later held meetings with Greenpeace and won its approval by changing purchasing policies.

This case was a landmark for intellectual rights’ lawyers who now say to their clients they have to do it much quieter and more smoothly.

Companies these days look at social media as an important tool in communicating with customers and fans.

Facebook’s rules state that users can make fan pages about brands as long as they don’t claim to speak for the company and violate intellectual property rights.

It is very hard to make a judgment on the reasons Ferrari took the Wasems to court.

However, the finer details will be examined in court before a ruling is issued.

Ferrari generates a large proportion of its income from franchises and merchandising and is within its rights to guard its brand’s image fiercely.

The trick is to do so without alienating friends and fans.

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Adel Murad is a senior motoring and business journalist, based in London.

Email: [email protected]