1. WIPO-NIFT “TRAINING THE TRAINERS” WORKSHOP ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS New Delhi, June 20 to 24, 2005

2. 2 ® Trademark Usage: Getting the Basics Right Lien Verbauwhede Consultant, SMEs Division World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ®

3. 3 1. Introduction

4. 4 Protecting trademarks begins in-house... Trademark is instrumental to developing brand identity and customer loyalty Important to preserve and enhance distinctiveness and value of mark Make proper use of your trademark Protect it from being misused by others

5. 5 2. Do’s and don’ts to preserve distinctiveness and value of a trademark

6. 6 1. Use actively Offering the services Affix mark to the goods or their packaging In promotional, instructional, reference material, website, labels, packaging, business papers, invoices, etc.

7. 7 2. Avoid trademark from becoming generic Function of trademark = to distinguish the goods/services NOT to describe the goods/services If trademark becomes common use –risk: becomes generic –loss of protection

8. 8 Examples of generic trademarks Kleenex= facial tissue Coke= soft drink Xerox= photocopier FedEx= overnight courier service Thermos= hot water bottle Yo-yo=

9. 9 A) Set apart from surrounding text____ Distinguish mark from surrounding text –Use capital letters, bold, color, italics, underline, quotation marks  chance of mark being seen as generic term Create distinct commercial impression in minds of consumers regarding the mark

10. 10 Correct use: Raymond Textile is India's leading producer of worsted suiting fabric with over 60% market share. ‘Raymond Textile’ is India's leading producer of worsted suiting fabric with over 60% market share. Incorrect use: Raymond Textile is India's leading producer of worsted suiting fabric with over 60% market share.

11. 11 B) Specify font, size, proportion and placement ____________________________ Consistently reproduce font / size / proportion (especially if integral part of registered mark) Helps maintain uniform and consistent look Avoids confusing consumers

12. 12 Correct use: Incorrect use: VIMAL ADTA ftosa

13. 13 C) Specify colors_______________________ Color can be effective tool for creating brand identification (many people use color as selection) If color is feature  must always appear in correct colors  must appear in color whenever possible If you license others to use your trademark  provide color specifications  monitor correct use

14. 14

15. 15 D) Use trademark as adjective____________ Avoid using as nouns or verbs Use as adjective in association with a descriptive noun Non-adjectival use, over time, can result in genericness

16. 16 Correct use: - Buy a Mafatlal suite from authorized dealers. - Photocopy this for me on the Xerox copier. Incorrect use: - Buy Mafatlals from authorized dealers. - Xerox this for me.

17. 17 Correct use: - The great quality and design of Swarovski jewelry Incorrect use: - Swarovski’s great quality and design E) Do not use in possessive form ________

18. 18 F) Do not change spelling _______________ Do not insert/delete hyphens Do not merge words Do not abbreviate (except when registered)

19. 19 - Calvin Klein - Tommy Hilfiger - Luis Vuitton - MPC POTTERIES GWALIOR - Kalvin Klein - Tommy-Hilfiger - Luisvuitton - MPC P/G Incorrect use: Correct use:

20. 20 3. Use trademark notice ®, TM, SM Not compulsory, but: Alerts public that trademark is registered May discourage illegal use With the name or logo of the mark On products, advertising, websites, labels, etc. NOT ® in countries where not registered!

21. 21 4. Register domain name Often most important asset of an online business Use trademark as SLD, if possible Choose carefully TLD –.in : if target audience is based in India. Not so good if you're reaching out for global audience –.com : classic TLD for any site anywhere in the world. BUT: not always available –.biz : for business sites –.info : for informational sites –.org : for nonprofit sites –.coop: for cooperatives Greater availability BUT: spammers

22. 22 5. Monitor authorized users All types of users –Licensees, franchisees –Authorized resellers, retailers –Brand owners –Developers –Advertising agencies –Subsidiaries –Customers All types of use –Promotional, instructional, reference material, website, products, labels, packaging, etc.

23. 23 Control quality of goods and services offered under the licensed mark –Bad quality damages your reputation! Monitor correct use (style, color, etc) of trademark –Incorrect use confuses customers + risk of loss of protection

24. 24 3. Most Common Mistakes Made by Exporters

25. 25 1. Believing that trademark protection is universal Trademark rights are territorial In many countries only protected if registered Registration abroad –‘national route’ –‘regional route’ –‘international route’ (India not member Madrid)

26. 26 2. Using trademark that is already registered/used by competitors in export market Examples –MAKRO case in Venezuela –NIKE case in Spain (1992 Olympics in Barcelona) –In 2003, the US Customs Services seized counterfeit and pirated products valued at > $94 million

27. 27 3. Using trademark that conflicts with geographical indication Example The European Court of Justice ruled against the sale of blue cheese under the trademark CAMBOZOLA considering it confusingly similar to geographical indication GORGONZOLA

28. 28 4. Not applying for trademark registration until it is too late Example Bean exporter from Argentina to Spain –local distributor registered in Spain –exporter no direct clientele in Spain

29. 29 5. Leaving ® on product/packaging when exported in country where trademark is not registered In some countries: fines if mark is not yet registered (even if application for registration submitted)

30. 30 6. Launching product in export market without checking whether trademark is likely to be considered distinctive and has no undesired connotation in local language Example: Ford NOVA

31. 31 4. Conclusions

32. 32 Conclusions Proper use of trademark... Is crucial to acquire, register and maintain the mark  risk that mark will become generic Preservers mark’s ability to identify origin of the products Consistent business image provides immediate recognition and creates goodwill

33. 33 Thank you Lien Verbauwhede www.wipo.int/sme/ Thank you Lien Verbauwhede www.wipo.int/sme/