2019 Trademark Ecosystem

The 2019 Trademark Ecosystem is a full in-depth report highlighting the major changes in the trademark space, including identifying key players and forces affecting trademark infringement. As more trademarks enter the market, the challenge and complexity of protecting and preventing infringement increases.

Key findings

Steep rise in trademark filing activity, Infringement is here to stay and Filing, infringement on the rise…are budgets being matched?

A look into the trademark ecosystem

There has been tremendous growth in the number of trademarks filed over the last decade or so. There has been eight consecutive years of growth in the number of filings and 2017 stands out as the busiest year for decades.

The real story of infringement 

The top three effects of infringement have all increased this year compared to last year’s research. They include:

  1. Customer confusion (52%): this is up from 44% in 2017
  2. Damage to brand reputation (42%): this is up from 33% in 2017
  3. Reduced customer loyalty and trust (40%): this is up from 34% in 2017

Balancing the budget

Regardless of industry, budgets remain one of the most talked about issues, sometimes creating roadblocks to success.

Stakeholders in the process

It’s not just trademark professionals that are involved in the trademark ecosystem. There is involvement from marketing, the C-suite and third-party providers, such as trademark research providers.

Future forward 15 Conclusion

The trademark landscape continues to transform, marks are evolving, applications are increasing, and infringement is an ever-present and growing issue. But just as the landscape shifts, trademark professionals and the process itself adapts to these changes. However, this doesn’t necessarily occur at the same pace as the movement in the landscape.