"Logos and No Gos ought to be mandatory reference material for all managers of branded products and services. It is a concise, easy read, jammed with crucial information on how to survive and thrive in the I.P. Jungle. It shows how to add brand value and how to guard that value with your life. When Kangol moved out of manufacturing and distribution into brand licensing it took us a while to realise that brand value lies as much in the quality and protection of the I.P. portfolio as it does in the image and trading performance. With Logos and No Gos on your desk there can be no excuse for sloppy I.P. management."
--David M. Heys, C.E.O., Kangol Holdings Ltd "Geoff Steward is a highly experienced practitioner in the field of Intellectual Property and Trade Marks in particular. Logos and No Gos embodies his wide experience and is a very readable guide to what is otherwise a tortuous and, often, near impenetrable legal mine-field for the unwary brand owner and brand developer. Anyone thinking of launching any form of new business or product should read Geoff's book from cover to cover. Thus forewarned they should be able to avoid the worst pitfalls and, more importantly, be in a position to develop a valuable business asset."
--Mark Platts-Mills QC, Barrister practicing in trade marks at 8 New Square, Lincoln's Inn
Intellectual property is one of the most valuable assets of all brand owners, and separates them from their competition in local, national and global markets. Damage to brands can have a deadly impact on a company's bottom line. Despite this, few brand owners really understand how to identify, get maximum value from and properly protect their IP rights.
Covering all aspects of rights protection in business--including copyright, designs trade marks, database right and domain names--Logos and No Gos is your complete guide for negotiating the minefield of IP in business. With the help of expert Geoff Steward, you will learn how to design and implement a strategy to fully protect your brand rights--and avoid inadvertently infringing those of others.
Logos and No Gos is a plain English guide to identifying and managing the IP in brands. It's all you need to understand and make the most of:
- Trade marks
- Copyright
- Database rights
- Designs
- Domain names
- Employment contracts
- Contractors
- Licensing
- Assignments
- Franchising
About the Author: GEOFF STEWARD qualified as a solicitor at Macfarlanes in 1995. In 2002 he became a partner in the Litigation Department and now heads the firm's contentious intellectual property practice. He regularly advises on trade mark, copyright, database right, designs (registered and unregistered), passing off and domain name disputes involving clients in the television, sports, newspaper, retail and food and drink industries. Geoff acted on the widely reported Davidoff parallel importing case which was referred to the European Court of Justice and has particular expertise in grey market goods.
He also advises on sales promotion and advertising/copy clearance issues as well as brand strategy generally and managing trade mark portfolios. Geoff is a member of The Intellectual Property Lawyers Organisation (TIPLO), an associate member of the Institute of Trade Mark Agents (ITMA)and sits on the Editorial Board of Trademark World.
Macfarlanes is widely recognised as one of a handful of high quality independent law firms in the UK. With some 270 lawyers, the firm provides a comprehensive service in its chosen areas of expertise, handling work of a quality and scale that places it among the leading law firms in the City of London. The lawyers from each of its four departments - Corporate, Private Client, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, and Real Estate - are consistently ranked among the leaders in their field. Macfarlanes has a particularly strong reputation in advising on intellectual property, advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion and PR issues - acting for a large number of major brand owning clients.
