The challenges began pretty much from the outset.
An appearance on the Danish morning show Go’ Morgen Danmark in 2014 not only made Danish start-up PanzerGlass a household name for its innovative and exclusive screen protection products for tablets and mobile telephones, it also meant that the first imposters began to emerge, resulting in several lawsuits. As PanzerGlass grew into a global company with 150 employees, operating in 63 different markets all over the world, the number of cases grew as well.
“We’ve seen countless attempts to ride the wave of our success by unlawfully using our name in connection with similar products,” says Jimmy Olsen, CEO of PanzerGlass, which is part of the Juhl Bach Holding Group.
Effective protection of valuable marketing
Jimmy is glad that Patrade helped PanzerGlass register its name very early on. If PanzerGlass had not secured a registration, or if it had applied for registration at a slightly later point, the company would have had to spend oceans of resources maintaining its market shares.
“In our case, the trademark registration and the investment we made in protecting our brand were instrumental in ensuring that we could maintain our market position. For instance, when we talk to new distributors, it is hugely important that we are the original PanzerGlass, and we can only claim to be so because we have a registered trademark,” he explains.
But in addition to the actual trademark registration, Patrade has had an immense impact on PanzerGlass’ chances of winning trade name infringement lawsuits over the years.
“Patrade has been really exceptional in this respect, helping us win every single lawsuit involving the right to use our name, currently about 16 cases,” says Jimmy and he adds:
“We have thousands of competitors, but none that are able to match the quality of our products. Therefore, our name is currently the very foundation of our business, and over the years, we’ve spent 100 million kroner marketing our name. This money would be lost if others could just use our name, and therefore, we happily invest in protecting it.”
Efforts have proven their worth
According to Jimmy, Patrade approaches every task with zeal and is as committed to winning the lawsuits as he is himself.
Also when it comes to day-to-day trademark administration, Patrade provides effective and professional assistance, whether with buying internet domains, registering rights in countries that PanzerGlass has yet to enter or with customs monitoring, ensuring that Chinese products with Panzer in their names are stopped at the border even before they leave the country.
“Our efforts to combat imposters have definitely proven their worth. Since our initial contact, Patrade’s assistance both in and out of court has been instrumental in enabling us to build a trademark portfolio that is stronger than ever. Partly because Patrade’s specialists keep tabs on our trademark on a day-to-day basis, and partly because every lawsuit won creates a precedent that will make things more difficult for the next imposter trying to use our name,” emphasises Jimmy Olsen, who warmly recommends other companies to invest in protecting their intellectual property rights.
“Although it may be a costly investment, it’s really worth it, considering what you stand to gain commercially and in terms of value,” he says.
