Importance of brand protection for IT companies

Sometimes a company may experience sudden success with a product or service before they are able to register a trademark for it. This is the case of OpenAI and the current success of their GPT model. The AI research organization now faces multiple challenges in protecting their brand and preventing others from using similar names or trademarks for their products and services.

"Traditionally, business owners would have to spend days going through all the invoices, expenses, tax returns and so on, without realising that there is a much more efficient way to do it. With our expertise in financial management, we can cut this time and costs by integrating the best IT solutions, allowing them to focus on the growth of their business." Read the whole story of Youtopia from the perspective of its Co-Founder, David Adderson, and learn how Trama protects this inspiring brand on its mission to simplify financial matters and let business owners focus on crucial aspects of their commerce.

In the past years, we have seen an increase in AI models that create new artworks based on existing content. But as these tools become more prominent, insufficient regulation leads to a growing number of unanswered legal questions regarding copyright and trademark infringement. The recent lawsuits against companies such as Stability AI by multiple visual media websites are likely to shape the future of AI-generated content.

Despite the significant slowdown in the third quarter, the number of trademark applications for digital assets submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) so far this year has tripled over the previous high set in 2021. Following this trend, a number of prominent brands across all industries are expanding their trademark portfolio to cover digital assets. The rapid growth in the popularity of virtual goods and services and associated trademark applications however goes hand in hand with the emerging trademark issues.

As the numbers surrounding digital assets in the virtual worlds continue to climb, more and more companies are turning their attention to this new and promising marketplace. According to the report by Prophecy Market Insights, the market value of Metaverse is estimated to surpass $947.1 billion by 2030, and as such, both established and new brands are paying close attention to the latest trends and developments in this area.

Apple Inc. is one of the most valuable companies in the world, with a net worth of more than $2.263 Trillion as of December 06, 2022. Apple’s brand revolves largely around its cutting-edge technological products, such as the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro, each with its own unique trademark symbol. The tech giant is expected to launch its first mixed reality headset in 2023, hinted by a number of recent trademark applications.

Over the past years, Apple and Swatch, a well-known Swedish watch manufacturer, have been involved in a number of trademark disputes due to overlap in their product market since the release of “Apple Watch”. Recently, Apple lost yet another trademark dispute against Swatch, this time for its slogan associated with a highly successful advertising campaign, “Think Different”.

People all over the world are using smartphones and tablets. As mobile app usage grows in popularity, the number of app downloads worldwide increases as well. The global mobile application market size was estimated at USD 187.58 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 206.73 billion in 2022[1]. The trend shows that more and more people prefer to use mobile devices over the traditional system, which means more businesses are transitioning their services to mobile-first software solutions. Trademark registration offers an effective mechanism for protecting the uniqueness of this vital asset of any business, including mobile apps.

We have witnessed multiple cases of corporate giants issuing cease and desist letters to small businesses that had no means to fight for their trademarks. Trademark bullying is a common occurrence when it comes to IP disputes but rarely do we get to see a case as extreme as multi-billionaire tech company going against a woman entrepreneur that sells products for people with dyslexia.

Tech-giant formerly known as Facebook announced a rebrand and a change of its name to Meta. Following that, there were many discussions about whether a company as big as Facebook could even end up holding a complete monopoly over such generic word given hundreds of already existing trademarks in the same field of services. The results of these disputes will be decisive for the future of Meta.