<p>Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) has given up its effort to trademark "social enterprise," a term that has become a popular way to refer to enterprises that embrace social media technology.</p><p>In making the announcement, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff said: "It was never our intention to create confusion in the social sector which we have supported since our founding. As a result of the feedback we received, salesforce.com has decided to withdraw its efforts to trademark the term 'social enterprise' and plans to discontinue its use in our marketing."</p><p>Analysts believe the reversal comes because the company is preparing to launch a major marketing effort at the upcoming DreamForce conference.</p><p>"According to Salesforce.com's own marketing material the Social Enterprise can be defined as 'Intentionally using social media to engage with customers and deliver an experience that builds brand loyalty for the enterprise'. Having decided to withdraw its application to trademark the words 'Social Enterprise' at the behest of the not-for-profit sector, the company's marketing investment in that phrase will alas not earn brand loyalty for Salesforce.com," Katy Ring with K2 Advisory told BusinessCloud9.</p><p><a href="http://www.fierceenterprisecommunications.com/story/salesforcecom-gives-bid-trademark-social-enterprise/2012-09-10">Keep reading...</a></p>