Band brands – trademarks in the music industry
An effective intellectual property protection regime is essential for the functioning of the music industry. For the artistic side, copyright protection is essential for artists and labels. Copyright protects lyrics, melodies, arrangements, recordings, performances,...
Is your trademark “available”?
We often get comments from clients saying that they have already checked that their trademark is available. Almost always this is based on a misunderstanding of how trademarks work. Typically when a prospective client says that they have already checked that the...
How to protect your blog’s name as a trademark?
It has been estimated that there are over 500 million blogs. Many of them have large readerships and tremendous commercial value. Like any other services, blogs can be protected with trademarks. Protecting the blog’s name as a trademark brings many benefits. For...
Defensive trademark registrations in the EU
Sometimes big companies register trademarks that they do not use or intend to use. The logic is that by doing that, they can enhance the protection their brand has. Is it allowed? What are the risks? Can it be done? What are defensive registrations? Defensive...
How to register a descriptive name as a trademark?
It is generally not possible to get exclusive rights to a descriptive name. If the trademark is descriptive, it is not distinctive and cannot be registered (unless it has acquired distinctiveness through use). What are descriptive names? Descriptive names are names...
The risk of not protecting your trademark – what’s the worst that could happen?
Trademark registration is an investment. By registering your trademark you create legal rights that would not otherwise exist. Although trademarks are about excluding others from using a similar trademark, they also make sure that after your trademark is registered,...