Intellectual Property Magazine
Working in harmony
JillBainbridge and Ben Evans review howto make the lawyer/marketer relationship work for everyone
Jill Bainbridge andBen Evans - Blake Morgan
The relationship between trademark lawyers and marketingteams can be fraught with difficulties. The traditional narrative
oftenholds that trademark lawyers stifle the creative potential of marketers andtheir brands – raising problems and picking
holes in what, until that point,had felt like plain sailing towards an exciting new brand or product launch.Any fraught relationship
is likely to breed inefficiency and has the potentialto leave brands and their marks vulnerable to competitors and trademark
trolls– two barriers to productivity and profitability. Instead, it must be acknowledgedthat both legal and marketing teams
are key components of commercial success,and therefore have a vested interest in maintaining healthy and productiveworking
relationships. The benefits of a collaborative relationship betweenlawyers and marketers are threefold – preventing lawyers
and marketers frombeing at loggerheads can increase time efficiency, reduce costs, and alsoprovides the most effective protection
of brands and relevant trademarks.