We were approached by a drinks company who had received a legal letter which said that their branding infringed the trademark of a much larger brand. It’s not uncommon for household names, and larger companies, to accuse smaller brands of this.
This type of legal dispute can often incur high legal fees very quickly and, in this case, we felt that our client would struggle to defend their position. With this in mind we devised a plan that the best approach would be for us to help them manage the dispute by advising in the background.
By acting in the background, the conversations our client had with the other side remained amicable and they were able to avoid potentially costly and lengthy court action. They also secured ongoing use of the existing brand (with minor changes). From a legal perspective this might seem unusual, but tactically it was perfect for our client in this situation. Both sides achieved a win-win outcome with minimal stress and legal cost.
Getting advice at an early stage can help to avoid greater expense at a later date. A lot of the problems that our clients face for the first time have been seen by us before in one shape or another. Please contact us if you’d like us to help you steer you down the right path in the most efficient, and cost effective, way.