Opportunities for leveraging brands include line extensions in the existing product class, extending the line vertically up or down, extending the brand to different product classes, co-branding with other brands, and licensing the brand name. Line extensions are widely used alongside the other forms of leveraging. For companies with international operations, additional concerns relate to global branding issues. Increasingly, attention is also required concerning the role of the Internet in implementing brand identification. Brand theft is an escalating major challenge on a global basis.