Branding and trade marks
Brands and trade marks are often considered inseparable, as these terms are referred to when discussing a particular company’s offerings but a brand is more than merely one or more trade marks as other factors in the IP playbook such as designs, copyright, database rights, domain names and other related rights could be decisive in underpinning a brand.
We understand that developing a business idea and building and promoting a brand around that business can involve significant effort and investment over many years.
Ideas and brand identity are the currency of business; they are shared, developed and sold.
We work with brand owners at all stages of the branding process, to identify, protect and enforce the rights in their brand, an important step in safeguarding the value of their businesses.
Building up a strong brand naturally includes the exploitation of it. We offer comprehensive legal services for all aspects of commercial exploitation of intellectual property, including handling our clients’ trade mark portfolios and advising on the acquisition or disposal of rights in brands.
Ring-fencing and exploiting rights
Our Intellectual Property Team advises a range of businesses from SMEs to major corporate entities on their global brand protection strategy.
The team provides the following services:
- Brand portfolio management.
- Conducting clearance searches and filing services for trade marks and designs at the UK, EU and international registries.
- Developing customised IP strategies depending on commercial objectives.
- Enforcing or defending your trade mark and design rights through the courts, intellectual property offices or alternate dispute resolution.
- Providing a variety of watching services, to monitor other people’s trade mark filings, domains, and company names advising where action is needed.
- Protecting company names and domain names.
- Conducting IP investigations.
- Performing trade mark, design and patent renewals and copyright renewals where applicable, globally.
- Consolidating registered rights and corporate restructuring to transfer registered rights into dedicated holding companies.
- Acquiring brands.
- Commercial agreements for the licensing of brand rights including franchising distribution and manufacture.
- IP enforcement and dispute resolution.
- Advice on all aspects of advertising and marketing law in connection with the promotion of brands.
Our experience covers compliance with advertising regulations and the legality of advertising campaigns and sales promotions (including misleading and comparative advertising), digital marketing and social media campaigns, ambush marketing and dispute resolution.
There is no point in ring-fencing brand and trade mark rights without enforcing them. Our specialist Branding and Trade Marks team and IP Dispute Resolution Team work together and act on behalf of clients to enforce their rights or defend them in all types of intellectual property disputes, including branding.
Key contacts
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Legal Director (Chartered Trade Mark Attorney)
