31.10.13

Mark Fancourt-Smith's article, "Hardwood and handbags: What’s in a name? Opinion: Adoption of a competitor’s name is a risk" was published in The Vancouver Sun on October 31, 2013. The article discusses how the registration of a trademark by a business provides a number of advantages, including nationwide enforceability, it may not be an ironclad guarantee of an exclusive right to use it. Registering an identical, or very similar, name as a trademark where the name is already in the marketplace for similar goods or services can leave a trademark — and the holder — vulnerable.