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Brands in the Boardroom 2007
Welcome
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the fourth
edition of IAM’s annual publication Brands in
the Boardroom: Key branding issues for
senior executives. Published to coincide with
the annual meeting of the International
Trademark Association being held in Chicago
from 28th April to 3rd May, Brands in the
Boardroom 2007 seeks to identify some of
the major trends in brand management and
trademark law and practice, and to explain
their relevancy to a readership of decision
makers inside brand-owning businesses.
Articles
Building a Strategy for shape mark protection
The Lego Group has become the leading producer of construction toys
worldwide thanks to its famous rectangular plastic brick. But protecting the
shape of the toy is proving tricky
ICI: leading the pack in trademark and brand management
With 80 years’ experience in protecting its intellectual property, ICI is
no slouch when it comes to looking after its brands. Trademark counsel
Paul Johnston unfolds a tale of fast-paced product lines, emotive markets
and a very special dog
Lighting the way to worldwide success
Protecting an icon is not easy, especially when the company’s entire legal
department consists of only one lawyer and his assistant. Luckily, the man
in charge of the Zippo brand has developed a system as reliable as the
product itself
Enforcing Community rights in Europe
Beyond doubt, Article 1 (2) of the Community
Trademark Regulation (CTMR) and Article 1
(3) of the Community Design Regulation (CDR)
are at the heart of European trademark and
design rights, respectively
Evaluating brand-rich transactions: IP issues for corporate board members*
A significant portion of large-scale merger
and acquisition (M&A) activity in the US and
Europe relates to brand-driven or brand-rich
transactions
Trademark dilution – protecting famous trademarks in South Africa
Thirteen years after the historic first general
elections that marked the start of democracy
in South Africa, this country has become a
political and economic success story
Outlook on dilution and comparative advertisements in Europe
After some years of uncertainty, a doctrine of
trademark dilution appears to be emerging in
Europe, in particular as a result of a number
of cases of trademark infringement under
the UK Trade Mark Acts 1994 (the Act)
A new approach to generic marks in Portugal
In Portugal, trademarks are governed by the
Industrial Property Code (approved by
Decree-Law 36/2003), which entered in
force on 1st July 2003
Optimising brand value through strategic tax planning
As brands expand globally, their owners
increasingly are, and should be, considering
how to maximise brand value by seeking
legitimately to minimise tax exposure
The advantages of the Community trademark system
On 25th March 2007 the European Union
celebrated its 50th anniversary. Numerous
facts can be mentioned in this regard, both
positive and negative
Trademark refusals in Mexico on the grounds of descriptiveness
The Mexican Industrial Property Law (IPL)
contains a specific chapter dealing with
absolute and relative grounds for refusal
Determination of royalty: the expectation gap
As companies within the apparel, high-tech,
infocomm, consumer products,
pharmaceuticals, entertainment and media,
and various other industries seek new
revenue streams, licensing is becoming
a significant component of their strategy
