Tuesday 26 April 2011 is World IP Day.
This year's theme – "designing the future"
– celebrates the role of design in the marketplace, and
highlights the importance of the protection of design rights. This
comes as technology giant Apple have filed legal proceedings
against competitor Samsung for trade mark and patent
infringements.
Apple allege that Samsung's "Galaxy" range of phones
and tablets have been "slavishly" copied from Apple's
iPhone and iPad designs, thus infringing various IP rights, for
which the Apple brand is famous.
Samsung claim that they produced the Galaxy range through their own
research and development.
A company's brand is its most valuable asset and the importance
of brand protection cannot be underestimated. Regardless of the
sector or type of company, failure to have safeguards in place,
which protect the integrity of intangible property assets, leaves
any business exposed.
Many companies devote a large portion of their resources to the
removal of counterfeits from the market. Counterfeits are usually
of an inferior quality and can significantly undermine the original
brand. Consumers who have negative or unsafe experiences of a
product which they believe are a representative of a well-known
brand will rarely trust that brand in the future.
Brands can be protected by registration of certain IP rights, such
as Trade Marks, Registered Designs and Patents. The World Intellectual Property
Organisation established World IP Day with the aim of
raising awareness of how these IP rights impact on daily
life.
The wide-ranging expertise of the market-leading brand protection
practice at Burness demonstrates many important aspects of IP
rights.
Our commitment to identifying the different needs of each
individual client means our knowledge and experience spans many
different sectors. In addition to our leading sports brand
protection practice, we have also acted in protecting well-known
food and drink, and clothing brands. We have also assisted in the
protection of copyright in both the music industry and the art
world.
Burness' knowledge and experience extends to all aspects of
brand identity - from registration and exploitation to protection
and enforcement. Uniquely in the Scottish market we have expertise
on providing support for IP criminal prosecutions.
Brand protection is imperative in today's market - as Apple
have discovered. If you produce a popular product, everyone will
want a bite.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
