The WIPO And Fighting Global Design Knock-offs

By David Crowe

David Crowe

Many American companies depend on strong global sales of key products featuring innovative product design. Foreign knockoffs of these designs can be common and devastating to these companies, making the need for strong international legal protections obvious. A few weeks ago, this blog touched on an international registration system available to companies for efficiently protecting their brands in several jurisdictions across the globe. Additionally, a similar system for protecting a product’s industrial design (i.e. appearance), has recently become available for companies in the United States making it easier to obtain robust global design protection.

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Brexit And Trademarks: Protecting IP During Political Upheaval

By Emily Scheible and Laura Echols

Emily Scheible

Given the recent changes in the makeup of the European Union, many companies are considering the various ways the U.K. exit will impact their business. Trademark owners, in particular, should determine whether their brands are sufficiently protected in important markets with consideration paid to proposed expansion plans and political developments. Registration of trademarks is just one way to protect your brands around the globe and use of the International Registration system (IR) may make sense for your business. However, there are many considerations involved in deciding whether to use the system and a quick highlight of advantages and disadvantages is presented below.

The IR is based upon an international agreement known as the Madrid Protocol. The U.S. began its participation in November 2004. Since then, it has been gaining popularity with U.S. brand owners due to its efficiency and cost effectiveness when expanding and protecting a brand globally.
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