Strategy

Can a global brand name limit its life? It's easier said than done, writes Claire Jones.

Of course, you can launch a new brand before obtaining trademark registrations, but you may need deep pockets if you are to obtain the necessary rights after the fact. Claire Jones looks at the recent high profile launch of Jack’s by Tesco.

An organisation's value is no longer based simply on its tangible or fixed assets; more often than not, it is the company’s intangible assets, including brand reputation and goodwill, that create its market value.

What happens to trademarks, designs, patents and copyright if the UK crashes out of Europe without a deal? The UK government released a series of guidance papers to address this topic last week.

A US court ruled this month that ‘ugg’ is not a generic term to describe the popular slouchy sheepskin boots, clearing the way for the brand owner, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, to pursue its trademark and design infringement actions against a rival manufacturer.

As e-cigarette use grows, so do the dangers of trademark infringement for well-known brands, as Trademark Attorney Claire Jones explains.

Fashion brand fails to provide adequate proof of use for the stylised capital D it registered as an EU trademark in 1999. Ardine Siepman examines the decision.

If you build a brand or reputation around your own name, what happens if a third-party owns the trademark registrations to that name, rather than you?

When seeking to expand into new markets or territories, it’s important to ensure IP protection is first in place. Dr Peter Wilson sets out the IP elements to consider when developing or updating an export strategy.

Chantal Koller, Managing Director – Trademarks at Novagraaf Switzerland, shares some of the approaches used by leading Swiss companies to achieve both brand dominance and market success.

As social media becomes an everyday part of corporate marketing practice, there has been a notable increase in hashtag-based brand names. Stormzy’s label #Merky Records (as listed with hashtag at Companies House) is just one example of this growing trend. But how registrable are such names as trademarks?

The copying of fashion and clothing designs is so endemic it appears almost accepted. But, a designer’s creative output is their intellectual property and should be protected as such. We set out tools for protection.