When IP Crosses Borders: Appraising the Exhaustion Doctrine in International Trade
Free trade opens borders to ‘food’ and ‘food for thought’ aplenty. For IP owners (“rightsholders”) in particular, a common challenge is how the free movement of goods may impact their IP rights. Understanding the “Exhaustion Principle” in IP law becomes vital. Also known as “the First Sale doctrine,” Exhaustion limits a rightsholder from controlling the […]
When Your Name Is No Longer Yours: IP Dilemmas in Eponymous Branding
In crafting a market positioning that dominates industries, branding have their work cut out. Building brand equity takes time. But over time, companies have found eponymous branding, also called “Namesake” branding—the practice of naming your brand after a person (usually a founder or a prominent individual associated with your brand)—to shorten this curve. Names are […]