Supporting product innovation through exceptional service and portfolio management.

Files in a cabinet

Our client, an entrepreneurial drinks manufacturer and distributor had experienced phenomenal growth in turn over and sales on a range of bottled drinks products since 1998, expanding from a relatively small company to a £70 m turn over. New bottled drinks products were being released every few months, each having their own distinct brand.

The client was previously using an established firm of trade mark agents to manage their portfolio of marks in a wide range of countries. However, costs were high and the trade mark filing and grant process was not keeping up with the pace of innovation and introduction of brands. Delays in communications were encountered, and because the client was dealing with a branch office of a medium sized firm of trade mark attorneys the client was effectively getting a sole practitioner level of service.

Further, the client was using one firm of trade mark agents for pending trade mark applications and a specialist off shore renewals firm for handling the maintenance fees on the granted marks. This meant that the clients files were kept in different locations by two different firms, making the portfolio harder to monitor and manage.

The client transferred their portfolio to Franks & Co. We were able to provide a team of fully qualified trade mark attorneys to keep the existing trade mark applications progressing, file new applications, provide searches and infringement advice, and pay maintenance fees all under one roof thereby reducing response times, whilst maintaining a single point of contact and management for the client. We managed to improve the speed at which trade mark searches were being made, trade mark applications were being filed and applications were progressing through to registration. Further, we provided daily updated online access to our database, so that at any time the client could check online the current status of their trade mark portfolio including both pending applications and registered trade marks.

In the short video below, European Patent and Trade Mark Attorney Dr Robert Franks talks about the management of portfolios of registered trade mark rights.