By Jenna Bruce
Howes Percival LLP
CUSTOMERS associate their experience of your products or services with your brand, which in turn gives rise to your reputation. Your brand is likely to have various identifying features, including the name of the business, product or service and any associated logo.
Reputation is key to building a strong brand, and growing your business. A great reputation means customers will return, they will recommend you to others, and new customers will want to buy from you. It may also gain attention from competitors, or those looking to enter the market, with the risk that they may try to take advantage of your reputation by copying your brand, name or logo.
If a copycat enters the market, customers may well be confused and buy from the copycat either thinking that they are buying from you, or that they are buying from somebody connected with you. In addition to the financial damage of those lost sales, if the copycat offers poor quality products or services then your reputation is likely to suffer as a result.
By protecting your brand with trade marks, you will be in a stronger position if a copycat enters the same market using an identical or similar name or logo. It also creates a tangible asset which, if you wish to sell your business, prospective buyers will look for.
The biggest brands in the food and drink sector protect themselves with trade mark registrations, but this is not exclusive to the big players. Registration enables businesses to protect their brand, add value to their business and maximise their competitive position.
The Intellectual Property team at Howes Percival are experienced in advising clients in the food and drink sector on all aspects of brand protection. UK trade mark registrations last for 10 years and typically cost from £1,000 for protection in one class of products/services, including the application fee and professional fees. For further information, contact or call 01604 230400.