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Did You Know?
Protecting
your intellectual property:
Two tales
Protecting
your intellectual property is a vital part of creating
brand value. Did you know that in certain markets
it is possible to register a single, solid color
as a trademark? Not just colors, but also shapes,
scents and sounds have official trademark status.
Here
are two tales...
Owens
Corning - Think Pink!
Owens
Corning make fiberglass insulation, pink fiberglass
insulation. They also use the Pink Panther character
(under license) in their marketing communications.
In a commodity market these associations help them
stand out from the competition and get recognized,
one of the first steps to success. They have also
protected their intellectual asset - in the US they
own the color pink (in association with fiberglass
insulation of course!). This gives them the security
they need to continue investing in and building their
brand. (Visit the Owens
Corning website to see how they are achieving
this.)
The
Mint with the Hole
Lifesavers Vs. Polo
In the UK there has been a 'mint with the hole'
since 1912, when 'Lifesavers' were first sold. Navy
mints had a similar shape, and in 1948 Rowntree
introduced Polo mints. There are now over 30 million
Polo mints sold every day, and in the UK the vast
majority of consumers recognize Polo mints as 'the
mint with the hole'. Despite this, and after years
of litigation that went all the way to the High
Court, the owners of Polo were unable to secure
the rights to this distinctive shape. Their failure
to secure this key intellectual asset makes their
brand more vulnerable to competitive threat.
Ask yourself:
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When was the last time I checked the intellectual
property laws for my markets? |
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Is there more I could be doing to secure
the intellectual assets of my brand, to better
protect them against competitive threat?
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