What kind of shifts are we seeing in the trademark industry? In a new survey, 85% of brands experienced infringement in 2019 showing a steady upward trend from 81% in 2018 and 74% in 2017.
Consequences of infringement were significant, with the top three cited:
- customer confusion (45%)
- loss of revenue (38%)
- damage to brand reputation (37%)
Three quarters of trademark infringements also led to litigation, with 40% of organizations spending between $50,000 – $249,999 on legal proceedings. In addition, 46% of respondents had to re-brand as a result of infringement, an exercise which can be costly for brands.
These are just some of the surprising findings from our 2020 Trademark Ecosystem Report. It’s filled with facts on the state of the global trademark landscape and is based on a survey of trademark professionals across Europe and North America.