http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/01/reputation-management-for-affiliate-marketing/

“Affiliates become the “face of the brand” for those consumers interacting. However, in many cases, there are very specific limitations to brand name use and both merchants and affiliate networks need to monitor what’s being promoted and how. It’s important to know about how affiliates are using brand names and whether there are anti-marketers or infringement issues. “

Oh, I’ve seen this happen, and the results were not good. Brands need to keep a very close eye on how they are being represented by any affiliates they use.

The linked articles on digital reputation management / online reputation management are worth a look as well.