It’s probably only a small step for a company, but nevertheless it is always good to get a bit of official support. As from now on, in the entire EU, ImpactBuilders is a registered trademark of … ImpactBuilders.
Why register a trademark when you already have the url? Well, first of all, someone might get the crazy idea to register your trademark and take it away from you – and then force you out of the url. With a European trademark, there is the extra benefit that every new country that joins the EU has to adhere to the existing trademarks, so the local ImpactBuilders firm would have to change their name if they should be working in our industry.
Organization design based on our branding contract
It helps to feel a bit protected, but for us, the main reason was to use the trademark as the legal basis of a growing international brand. Since we build our organization as a series of loosely coupled small circles, each with a clear responsibility, the trademark serves as the basis of the license to operate for each circle. The core values, the dream, and the corporate identity of ImpactBuilders are passed on to each of the circles via a branding contract. And via term sheets and agreements, each individual working for such a circle also gets inspired by the dream and by our core values.
Scam warning
Allow us to warn you, if you also would like a European trademark. A Serbian company with a European office in Strasbourg and a name and branding that is very very close to the official European agency in Alicante (Spain), might try to trick you in. Shortly after you apply for a European trademark, they send an urgent payment request. The letter reads like you forgot to pay, and might lose the rights from you application. It’s a pure scam, and hard to fight. So be warned …