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Brand Protection and Enforcement
Building a brand name is a laborious task that takes years of hard work and dedication. The current market scenario poses a threat to brands that have, or are trying to create a global presence. Menacing activities such as counterfeit, piracy, duplication, fraud, business crimes, etc. are increasingly complex and diverse, therefore, in order to counter that, STA Law Firm, provides a wide array of strategies and services to cope with the dynamic challenges that businesses face.
Valuable assets of a company are at stake when competing in a global market. IP pirates are always on the lookout to misappropriate these assets and in turn tarnish the superior reputation of companies and this leads to ‘brand abuse’. The term brand abuse, covers a vast range of malicious activities all of which, exploit an existing brand in various ways. These pirates pose as legitimate brands and try to hijack the consumer market. Brand abuse includes; Counterfeits and replica products, look-alikes, trademark-infringing listings on online marketplaces, design-infringing products, copyright infringements and piracy, trademark squatting, brand impersonation, rogue websites, etc.
A lot of challenges come along with being a successful brand. Brand enforcement is essentially concerned with protection of the Intellectual Property rights of companies. This regime aims to achieve protection against counterfeiters, copyright pirates and other IP infringers. This not only affects the revenue of the company but is also detrimental to the image and reputation thereof. Being a pressing global issue, it becomes important for brands to take all such necessary measures that will protect the goodwill of the company.
In such a scenario, the brand requires a team of knowledgeable and experienced lawyers, to advise and help the brand tackle the complications so presented.
We are a leading law firm engaged in protecting and securing brands and products from counterfeit, piracy, duplication, fraud, business crimes etc. Further, we acknowledge the necessity to act proactively to ensure that the needs of our clients are satisfied.
STA's Anti-Counterfeiting Team spearheads intensive counterfeiting investigations around the world in more than 80 countries. Our team handles anti-counterfeiting actions and measures which may range from serving demand notices and writs/complaints to full-blown search and seizure, often alongside criminal proceedings. Our extensive experience in matters dealing with manufacturers, sale, and distribution of unauthorized products allows us to seek quicker and just solutions in several jurisdictions worldwide. We have personal contacts with several officers within local law enforcement, customs, free zone ports, customs ports, and delivery services, which paves way for us to conduct efficient investigations and determine the identity of counterfeiters faster.
We are associated with a large client base across a wide range of jurisdictions in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. STA has a specialized team of quality Intellectual Property professionals with a wealth of expertise in various fields such as market intelligence, investigation and enforcement actions.
Being an experienced law firm, we provide a comprehensive brand enforcement regime that is tailor-made to the requirements of our clients. Further, we are equipped with the means to unravel the multiplicity of complexities that modern brands are confronted with. Our modus operandi involves a well-balanced combination of modern technology and human expertise.
Working in collaboration with us, your brand can actively contribute to making a positive societal impact. Our strategies aim to achieve corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
A brand’s reputation is its most valuable asset. Acknowledging that, our team strives to prevent any infringement that may tarnish such reputation. Our professionals spearhead innovative strategies to intercept infringement and arrange enforcement action with relevant law enforcement agencies.
We take a holistic approach to ensure protection and enforcement of the rights of brands associated with us. At the outset, our strong team of expert investigators evaluate the matter in extensive detail and thereafter, strategize in synergy with our clients to put forth the best proposition. In order to do so, we take into consideration the following aspects;
Nature of investigation
Area of investigation
Sensitivity of the matter
Urgency of matter
Serving as our clients’ strategic consultants, our brand enforcement team works closely with our litigation, compliance, intellectual property and corporate teams to put forth persuasive and appreciable solutions. Our multidimensional techniques give us the leverage to optimize our vast experience to the advantage of our clients.
IPR Registration
Our firm offers a complete range of licensing services for our clients to secure their trademarks in the UAE and around the world, our work includes not only the creation of clearance techniques, but also legal advice on the availability of marks for registration and usage purposes. Our attorneys work with our clients to file suitable trademarks rights applications with the UAE Ministry of Economy as well as in countries throughout the world.
Litigation Support
Diverse economic and artistic interest have been taken up by our litigation team to ensure that our clients are protected from exploitation and all such activities that could potentially be detrimental to the goodwill of their business.
Litigation issues may include, allegations of patent infringement, infringement of copyright, counterfeiting and piracy, infringement of trade dress, unfair competition, infringement of advertising and privacy rights, licensing and merchandising disputes, infringement of domain names, infringement of websites and other internet related issues, commercial disputes, market imbalance and market misconduct.
We understand that time is of the essence for any business and the negative impact that litigation may have, so to ease the process we try to conduct negotiations to reach an amicable settlement. However, if a settlement is not conducive, we effectively maneuver intervention through litigation and arbitration across the globe.
Raid Actions
Multi-jurisdictional Actions
Our team has delivered quality results to brands and companies that have been affected by IP abuse. We also take pride in our efficient counterfeit management techniques to shut down all illegitimate distribution channels operating across multiple jurisdictions.
Post Raid Actions
With our expertise and years of experience, our team assists authorities in the relevant jurisdiction in order to take prompt action in accordance with the respective laws. Further, we proactively carry out post-raid investigations into the subjects raided by us, to ensure that unauthorized activities are nipped in the bud. .
Grey Market Survey and Evaluation
Marketing analytics or as we may claim, market survey may be described as, substantially obtaining or attempting to obtain marketplace information with the use of statistical and analytical methods. Analyzing the market requirements is the key to the successful launch of any product. We provide a forum for well established businesses as well as startups to analyze the market landscapes before launching their products.
Grey market goods are products that are lawfully manufactured and procured in one particular region but are sold for surplus profits in another region. Resellers that engage in this unlawful practice take advantage of conversion rates and earn hefty profits as the goods pass through different distribution channels.
In order to maximize probability of complete elimination of unauthorized movement of goods, we supervise grey market activities. Further, our team of experts conduct a detailed scrutiny of the marketplace in order to gather relevant data from these markets and carry out a detailed analysis thereof to safeguard the interests of our clients and to curb dealings in counterfeit products.
Confidentiality
At STA, we believe in building relationships based on trust and so, it is of utmost priority that we maintain confidentiality of our clients’ information. Since we deal with a wide range of sensitive data it is our legal and professional responsibility to safeguard all such information from potential threats.
Honesty
This is a virtue that we strive to uphold, in keeping with our aim to build lasting relationships with our clients. Consequently, it helps us create a loyal customer base and an environment conducive to the free flow of information, enabling us to understand and tackle the issues at hand, to the best of our abilities.
Integrity and Reliability
Our team of professionals have strong work ethics ensuring compliance with legislative frameworks, both at the provincial and federal level. We consistently strive to create a reliable system to effectively meet the needs of our clients. Despite the rapidly evolving regulatory and market environment, we use the profound expertise and global capabilities of our teams to help customers achieve their business goals.
Team work and Professionalism
We, at STA, go above and beyond to promote an atmosphere that fosters efficiency and productivity in order to achieve high quality results that align with our clients’ interests. With our systematic approach to analyzing the history and background of each organization in depth, we are better prepared to provide flexible legal services to our clients.
