Marketing professionals know that a strong brand identity is the reason that customers choose one product or service over another, and that embodied within a brand are all the values, qualities, characteristics or personality that a brand owner aspires to communicate to its customers.

What many brand owners sadly overlook is how vulnerable those brands can be unless they are protected effectively. Take for example the brand belonging to a Premiership football club. The club will be likely to sell replica shirts, scarves and hats, as well as posters, lunch boxes, pens and even screensavers containing their brand; and not just here in the UK but internationally to fans around the globe. Much of the income for the club might come from the sale of branded goods, and hence counterfeit goods on which no royalty has been paid can make a serious dent in their finances, in addition to damaging their reputation if the quality is not up to standard.

Registering a trade mark helps ensure that income is not lost and is a powerful weapon in preventing the abuse of a brand by competitors or criminals intent on misleading consumers. For example, only the owner of a registered trade mark can do anything about counterfeit goods.

Before embarking on the launch of a new product all brand owners should think seriously about the existing trade marks in their market sector and take steps to differentiate their branding in such a way as to ensure it does not infringe existing trade mark registrations and, equally importantly, ensure that the proposed new brand is itself capable of being protected.

Contrary to popular belief simply writing ™ after a mark affords no protection and merely alerts others that you claim trade mark rights in the mark. By contrast, the ® symbol used alongside a registered trade mark conveys a very strong message as it can only be used by the owner of a trade mark registration: and it costs less than most people assume to protect their brand in this way. Added to which, provided they remain in use, registered trade marks can be renewed indefinitely.

Professional advice in relation to the use and protection of a brand can prevent some very expensive mistakes and ensure that a business gets the most out of its brand.