The concept of trade mark series

“United we stand, divided we fall”. In a world shaped by globalization, trade marks have become powerful business tools. Large companies – such as Mac Donald or Apple – have focused their marketing strategy on the development of a range of trade marks sharing a common denominator. Thus, the group formed by those trade marks taken all together can be identified as a trade mark series. Following the development of this new concept, the necessity to protect the series as an individual entity has emerged. The recognition of the validity of trade mark families generates tremendous consequences. In the light of these numerous implications, recent ECJ decisions are progressively building the scope of application and protection of this revolutionary concept.