Establishing, Protecting and Licensing a Brand
Establishing, Protecting and Licensing a Brand
The Dubai Chamber and The Licensing Executives Society-Arab Countries
October 25-26, 2009
From his years of U.S. corporate and trademark practice, Paul Jorgensen is fascinated with brands. “Brands are a reactor, a differentiator, and a business generator. They are both visually rich and subtle in the way they affect our decisions,” observes Mr. Jorgensen. “Although all around us, few people understand how successful brands touch diverse populations with common positive emotions. This is, at once, easy and impossible to fully appreciate, which gives brands great value and power.”
Mr. Jorgensen will be illuminating the world of brands to participants in the October 25-26, 2009 seminar presented by the Dubai Chamber and the Licensing Executives Society-Arab Countries.
The seminar, designed for branding, legal and business professionals, is designed to help participants see both the theoretical and practical side of establishing, protecting and licensing brands. “Dubai is the perfect place to discuss brands: a growing metropolis that is building powerful brands internally, while welcoming a diverse wealth of international brands. This part of the world is poised to increase the number and power of its brands throughout the world,” says Mr. Jorgensen.
“Brand owners, those looking to establish new brands, and those looking to increase their brand portfolio will all benefit from this seminar,” Mr. Jorgensen states, “each needs to understand what a brand is comprised of, what makes a strong brand, and how brands are valued.” To illustrate the power of such strong worldwide brands as Google, Microsoft and Coca-Cola, as well as emerging brands in the region like Al Jazeera and Emirates, Mr. Jorgensen provides a comprehensive look at brand valuation methodologies to show that successful brands generate incremental returns for the business that owns them, either by increasing revenues or by reducing costs.
From the theoretical to the practical, Mr. Jorgensen will take class participants through the process of selecting a strong brand, from determining whether to enlist a branding firm, to establishing and running a selection process, to legal searching. “Narrow your options with effective legal counsel that are experienced in brand selection and research,” says Mr. Jorgensen, “but bring them in early in the process to help you save valuable resources.”
Mr. Jorgensen will take attendees through a hypothetical brand search, identifying the best methods for efficiently determining the risks that new brands will encounter in use, and whether it is advisable for the brand owner to pursue trademark registration. “I find actually seeing a search helps brand owners, attorneys and professionals visualize and understand the subtleties, the art if you will, of assessing the risks associated with selecting and using a brand.”
The seminar then will detail the registration and protection of brands. “Brand owners cannot simply obtain a registration and relax” emphasizes Mr. Jorgensen, “brand ownerships requires vigilance to ensure that the brand is protected from infringement, dilution, encroachment and other external factors that can lead to a loss of brand value. Successful brands also establish internal use policies, aggressively control the quality of the underlying goods and services, police licensees and keep the brand fresh and up to date.” Mr. Jorgensen takes participants through the key elements of each of these external and internal programs that a brand owner needs to follow to sustain and grow brands.
Jorgensen takes special care to review the elements that need to be brand licenses, including carefully worded geographical and stream of commerce scope limitations, quality control, and termination provisions. He also meticulously covers the risks and protections for brands on the Internet, detailing both the threats that a brand can encounter online and the methods for dealing with challenges to one’s brand.
“I am very pleased that the Dubai Chamber is dedicated to increasing the understanding of brands,” notes Mr. Jorgensen. I want participants to understand that effective brands resonate with the relevant consumer in the relevant market, reassure consumers of the experience of the goods or services, differentiate products with strong visuals or messages, cohere with the brand owner’s corporate identity, adapt to changes in markets, consumers and economies, and energize consumers by staying responsive and relevant.”