WIPO-NIFT

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WIPO-NIFT TRAINING THE TRAINERS WORKSHOP ON
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTSNew Delhi, June
20 to 24, 2005
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Trademark UsageGetting the Basics Right

• Lien Verbauwhede
• Consultant, SMEs Division
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

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1. Introduction
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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

Protect it from being misused by others
Make proper use of your trademark
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2. Dos and donts to preserve
distinctiveness and value of a trademark
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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.

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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

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Examples of generic trademarks

• Kleenex facial tissue
• Coke soft drink
• Xerox photocopier
• FedEx overnight courier service
• Thermos hot water bottle
• Yo-yo

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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

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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.
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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

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Correct use
Incorrect use
VIMAL
ADT
A ftosa
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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

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(No Transcript)
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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

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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.
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Correct use - The great quality and design of
Swarovski jewelry
E) Do not use in possessive form ________
Incorrect use - Swarovskis great quality and
design
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F) Do not change spelling _______________

• Do not insert/delete hyphens
• Do not merge words
• Do not abbreviate (except when registered)

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

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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
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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.

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• 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

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3. Most Common Mistakes Made by Exporters
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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)

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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
• gt 94 million

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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4. Conclusions
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ConclusionsProper use of trademark...

• Is crucial to acquire, register and maintain the
  mark
• ? risk that mark will become generic
• Preservers marks ability to identify origin of
  the products
• Consistent business image provides immediate
  recognition and creates goodwill

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