Hot topics

Raising the profile of IP in corporate boardrooms is key to moving conversations away from acquisition cost and on to business potential, says Chantal Koller. 

In the rush to launch a new business, product or service, businesses often fail to consider trademark protection for key elements of their branding. We share eight reasons for starting the trademark process early in the brand creation process.

Businesses that are managing different brand names for the same products in different jurisdictions could save time and money by harmonising their trademark portfolio, says Luke Portnow.

Effective IP portfolio management does not only require access to the right technology and tools. IP firms and departments also need to consider how they approach their day-to-day IP tasks.

When businesses merge with or acquire other businesses, the challenge for IP professionals doesn’t stop once the deal is complete. For IP rights to be properly updated and maintained, the question of how to brand and structure the newly merged business first needs to be addressed.

Two types of trademark watching exist to help brand owners to protect their rights: Trademark watching for conflicting trademark registrations and keyword monitoring for unauthorised use of brand rights online. We explain why these services are so important and how they work.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) became a hot topic and a potential cause of panic for many IP owners at the beginning of the year. Could the arrival of NFTs and the growth of the virtual herald a revolution for IP rights.

If you registered your brand name as a trademark, you can oppose the (more recent) use of a similar name for similar products and/or services if that use could cause confusion among the relevant public. To exercise your trademark rights, you must first monitor and identify for conflicting use. 

Establishing valid priority claims can be challenging for co-applicants in Europe, as Stéphanie Landais-Patarin explains.

If you receive an invoice or special offer from a company you do not know, there is a risk it could be a scam. A growing number of dishonest companies are sending out fake invoices and misleading offers hoping to catch patent and trademark owners unaware. 

Businesses and their trademark departments need to react quickly to new global and digital challenges today if they are to secure their brand for the future.

Brands routinely find creative and innovative ways to generate new customers or retain existing ones. A notable recent example of this has been the use of sub-brands to branch out into the same or a new market without jeopardising the parent brand’s existing position. We discuss the trademark implications.