Trademark Protection, a Key Part of Any Success.
Developing a product, starting a business, getting the word to potential customers, all of this is work, hard work. Your life becomes part of your business. But, success brings attention, and attention brings imitators, knockoffs, people who would dilute the value of your brand. Trademark Protection is business protection.
Tory Burch LLC, designers of women’s clothing and accessories, was recently awarded $38.9 million in damages. In a case that took over two years, a U.S. District court judged that the “Isis Cross” design used in thousands of units sold in a showroom and at trade shows was a copyright violation, and awarded the plaintiff damages. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and success brings imitators running. This is a great example as Tory Burch does a great job in protecting their brand.
In Pocatello ID, T-Shirt Mafia has filed suit claiming that a company was copying their trademarked “American Built” line of T-Shirts. Particularly irksome to the Idaho company, whose shirts are wholly American in manufacture and printing, is the fact that the knockoffs are often produced in Honduras, or Nicaragua. In many ways, it is a classic David / Goliath case. T-Shirt Mafia is a small, privately owned company, peddling its wares mostly on their own website, while their nemesis is a huge company with deep pockets and vendor relations around the country. This case is still pending. I will update as I am watching how it unfolds.
Creativity, sweat, and toil, these are the requirements for success. Hard work should pay dividends, and the reward belongs to the innovative. I want to make sure it stays that way. I, as always, would like to help your company keep the rewards earned from all of the invested time and work.
For more information about intellectual property, contact me today. If you need guidance or assistance in this area, please let me know. For more information protecting all aspects of your brand, do not hesitate to reach out to me anytime. I am here to answer your questions and help you. As always, I look forward to answering questions and feedback regarding this topic and others posted or soon to be posted. I will be covering all aspects of Brand Protection Basics – a FREE source of advice and discussions.
