Protecting a brand in today's global market is becoming increasingly difficult and complex. Alongside words, symbols, names and devices, colours and even sounds are now a common part of a trade mark owner's portfolio. Within our IP group, Bird & Bird's brand management team can help. We have worldwide expertise in managing and protecting brands and designs and can provide practical advice on the elements that are within your control and those that are not.
Our brand management team boasts some of the most renowned trade mark and design practitioners in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and they operate uniquely as one team across boundaries and borders. This experience is highlighted in the recent research report by Who's Who Legal - Recent Trends and Conclusions - Trade Marks 2011 - more here.
We serve a broad array of businesses, covering a number of industry sectors. We help companies for whom intellectual property is an important element of their business.
Bird & Bird provides support at every step of a brand's evolution, from initial concept through to becoming a global superbrand. We help to develop a clear brand strategy, from launch and financial success to defending your brand's position in the market place.
Trade mark portfolio management sits at the centre of this work:
- Clearance: Trade mark portfolio strategies and the risks associated with adopting certain brands. This work ranges from routine pre-filing and pre-launch trade mark clearances to advising on international rebranding projects for large multinationals.
- Prosecution: Trade mark and design filing and prosecution services. Bird & Bird manages and maintains thousands of trade marks and designs on behalf of its clients, co-operating with a network capable of covering every jurisdiction in the world.
- Trade mark and design enforcement: We advise on practical, preventative measures brand owners can adopt. In today's unstable market, brand owners increasingly look towards prevention rather than cure, but in a worst-case scenario Bird & Bird has a team which specialises in litigating and enforcing brands. The team's litigation work has a long and successful record. We also work closely with customs across Europe to prevent the cross border trade in counterfeit goods that infringe trade marks and designs.
- Advisory and transactional work: Agreements for the exploitation and licensing of brands and trade marks in relation to sponsorship and merchandise and also corporate and finance deals. As part of this work, we help clients with labelling and advertising issues, internet-related issues and all legal and regulatory issues connected associated with promotional and advertising activities.
Heads of Group: Morag Macdonald & Christian Harmsen