How brands should be protected before advertising internationally

Global branding has become increasingly popular in the past few decades. Companies are more often seeking to expand overseas into tempting and lucrative developing markets. Furthermore, the Internet has given global branding a heightened importance as websites can be accessed from anywhere. This is why international trademarks have become a necessity for companies operating in the global marketplace to ensure as much protection for their brands as possible.

Smart Business spoke with Namit Bhatt, an associate at Fay Sharpe LLP, about protecting brands when advertising abroad.

What should a company consider before expanding internationally?

One of the first steps is making sure the brand is protected at home. In the U.S., this means registering a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Securing a federal trademark registration with the PTO offers the strongest protection by helping to fight dilution and infringement of the brand marks used on the company’s products and in any advertisements.

Before a company expands into a foreign marketplace, it should conduct a trademark search to look for any marks in that country that could be confused with its brand. Fighting against a conflicting trademark is costly and time consuming to a growing company; a search helps avoid that cost.

How can a company achieve international protection?

When dealing internationally, take advantage of international agreements between countries because multi-national treaties and agreements can determine branding protections. The World Trade Organization is a useful source for treaties dealing with intellectual property (IP) standards. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is also a useful resource for determining the IP rights available. WIPO manages the Madrid Protocol, which assists the international registration of trademarks. More than ninety countries have acceded to the Madrid Protocol with India, Rwanda and Tunisia becoming members in 2013.

The Madrid Protocol allows companies that own trademark applications or registrations in a member country to expand the trademark application to other member countries with a single application. For example, a company with a registered trademark in the U.S., a member country, that desires to expand to India, can electronically file an international application with WIPO under the Madrid Protocol. The designated member countries are then notified of the international application and can examine the application for any conflicts within the local trademark system. Using this method is a convenient way to expand into a global marketplace quickly, efficiently and with one set of fees instead the expense of applying to each country individually.

Another international treaty that is helpful for global branding is the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The TRIPS agreement establishes a minimum level of IP protections including trademarks. This means that any member country of the treaty must adopt at least the amount of protection set forth in the treaty and can choose to give more protection than the minimum.

How can a company maintain international protection?

After a company achieves trademark registration in the new marketplace, it is important to maintain and enforce the rights granted under the trademark registration. Generally, the company should maintain continuous use of their trademark to not relinquish any rights for the brand. Also, the company should watch out for any marks that could dilute the protection of a registered mark. These methods will ensure that the global branding can be used for many years after registration.

Ensuring global protection of a company’s brand has become easier as the need for international protection has increased. Companies looking to enter new markets should be mindful of the options available and consider using them. Before advertising a product in a new marketplace, a company should look to gain protection of its brand in the marketplace.

Namit Bhatt is an associate at Fay Sharpe LLP. Reach him at (216) 363-9000 or [email protected].