In today's world, when technology and competition are continuously rising, it is critical to build a brand identity for any corporation, organisation, or business. When a corporation or business produces a distinct brand name, its customers may quickly distinguish it from other identical competitors in the same market. Once a corporation has created its brand name, it must protect it against those who may violate it and harm its goodwill and reputation. This is when IPs (Intellectual Properties) come into play. In this article, we will look at the function and significance of intellectual property rights (IPR) in brand formation.

Brand building is a word that has become widely used in today's corporate world. It is a method for businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors and to make themselves clearly known to their target audience. Nonetheless, many organisations are unaware of what it entails, let alone incorporating it into their corporate development strategy.

Personal and professional development are inextricably linked. It not only raises a brand's voice and consumer awareness, but it also provides it a sense of identity and worth. With the development of participatory and interactive platforms, many businesses now have the opportunity to increase brand awareness and equity. If you are considering creating a personal or business brand, you should be aware that it takes a significant amount of time and resources. In the following section, we will define brand building as well as look at different sorts of brands and the processes to creating a successful brand.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are the exclusive rights that an individual has over original ideas that they have used to create a successful brand name for their firm. IPRs protects everything from your creative writing, artwork, unique brand names, and even your technology. It is general protection granted to an individual over their creativity in order to protect it from others.

The significance of developing a distinct brand for a company cannot be emphasised. A strong brand identity is necessary for a firm to grow commercially and extend its consumer base, whether it is involved in production, sales, or delivering services. Because developing a brand is a high priority for businesses, it is logical that firms must safeguard their brand and prevent it from being exploited by others for ill-gotten gains. This is why IPR and obtaining the protections offered to firms under IP law are critical aspects of any business's operations. Even if the business's brand is well-established and the possibility of confusion is relatively minimal, the company should nevertheless take all necessary precautions to avoid taking unfair advantage of its brand.

What is a brand building?

Brand building is a marketing approach in which a company generates its own symbol and name to distinguish itself from competitors. This gives the company a distinct image and communicates its message to its target audience, informing them of what to expect. Brand building assists a company in defining how they want to be seen.

Importance of Brand Building

Because of the different ways it effects the organisation, brand building is critical to fostering corporate growth. The following are various reasons why you should consider brand building as part of your company's marketing strategy.

Increases Customer Attraction:

Brand building is quite helpful in assisting a company in acquiring new clients. It gives a powerful picture of a company, causing prospective customers to desire to work with them. This is because they regard the company as trustworthy and reliable. Brand building is a certain approach to generate positive word of mouth for the firm.

Advertising Benefits from Branding:

Another marketing tactic that helps a company represent its goals and beliefs is advertising. Branding and advertising can easily be combined to generate an appealing and promotional message that fits the company's growth objectives.

Branding raises the value of a company:

Increased brand value is required to have a firm presence in the business. A company's worth can be increased by branding. A higher business value makes the company more appealing and well-established in such a way that their target market would desire to do business with them.

Branding informs customers about what to expect:

When sending a brand message to the world, knowing what to expect from a company's customers is crucial. When your customers understand everything about the brand message you are portraying, they have a better opportunity of determining whether the company satisfies their demands. Because they know more about your company and what it offers, they will be more motivated and confident to buy from you because they know you have the right solution for their needs.

It distinguishes a company from its competitors:

Every company seeks to build an image that sets them apart from their competition. Being grouped in with other enterprises is detrimental to its growth. Companies may stand out from the crowd by creating a brand that is clearly recognised and gives them a competitive advantage. This is an excellent way for creating a strong image that can be recognised everywhere.

What exactly is a trademark?

Before we get into the importance of IP in branding, you first understand what a trademark is. A trademark is a logo, name, sign, word, or symbol, among other things, for any product or service that serves as a brand or source identifier. A trademark distinguishes one product or service from those of its competitors. It adds brand value or recognition to a company's goods. When a trademark is distinguishable from the items or services it provides, it is easier to register. The brand name should be distinct from the goods or services of any other firm in the same market, so that buyers can easily identify such a trademark and differentiate it from its competitors in the same market.

Because India is a common-law country that recognises Trademark use, it is essential to register a brand name or Trademark, but it is usually recommended to do so because Trademark Registration or Brand Registration gives substantial protection. For example, a person can begin utilising their trademark on products or services without first registering it. They can claim ownership of their trademark if they utilise it consistently. This privilege, however, is confined to the geographical area in which its products or services are offered. However, if they register their trademark, they can claim ownership of it. They can no longer limit their claim to a territorial boundary, but can now protect their Trademark globally.

Furthermore, an individual can only protect their Trademark from competitors that use comparable products or services or fall under Class 5; they cannot protect their Trademark from competitors who deal with similar products or services.

What are IPRs and how are they classified?

Intellectual Property Rights are a collection of exclusive rights granted to protect the intellectual inventions of a person, a group, or an organisation, either individually or collectively. Copyright and Industrial Patent are two broad categories of intellectual property. Trademarks, Patents, Geographical Indications, and Industrial Designs are examples of Industrial Property, whereas Copyright includes films, music, literary works, architectural design, and rights pertaining to the same comprehensive rights of artists, broadcasters, performers, and producers.

The following are the several types of intellectual property:

Patent: A patent is an exclusive right granted to the original inventor to prevent others from utilising their innovation without their permission. It is important to remember that an invention might be either a process or a product that provides a novel or inventive solution and is industrially useful.

Trademark: As discussed above.

Copyright: Copyright refers to the rights granted to authors, artists, creators, and composers for their original creative work, as well as to artists, broadcasters, and performers for associated rights. Copyright, like Patent Law, is a monopoly right. It is granted the only right to reproduce, sell, and publish any artistic, musical, literary, or architectural work made by the creator.

Trade Secrets: Trade Secrets are business secrets that provide it an economic advantage over others. Trade secrets might be proprietary details, formulas, processes, designs, data, or methods that should be kept private by the firm.

The Role of Intellectual Property in Branding - Protecting a Brand Name

After examining the definition of a trademark, let's look at the role of intellectual property (IP) in branding. Every business or corporation in the world values its brand value. A brand is a strong design, logo, name, or anything else that a corporation uses to identify their products or services to customers. In a competitive context, a strong brand name establishes a reputation or goodwill for a business or firm. When a firm or corporation has a strong brand name, it can help its current and potential customers differentiate its products or services from those of its competitors. However, the dilemma of how to protect a company's brand name may arise.

In such cases, Intellectual Property (IP) assets can be employed by a company or business to protect and build a strong brand image for their organisation. There are various sorts of intellectual property (IP) that a corporation can utilise to protect their name, innovations, creations, ideas, and so on. A sort of trademark is one that exclusively recognises the owner of a brand as the commercial source of commodities or services. Trademark Registration can be used by a brand owner to safeguard ownership rights in a brand name; these Trademarks are known as Registered Trademarks.

How Can IPR Aid in Brand Building?

Brand protection is not only vital for multinational corporations and major corporations. Actually, it is much more critical for new businesses because they are more prone to exploitation. Aside from preventing infringement, IPR can also benefit businesses in other ways. Many smaller businesses fail to grasp the multiple benefits of protecting their brand, which include more than merely infringement protection. Opportunities for licencing and associated revenue, the creation of franchisees, which will assist grow the brand's geographical footprint, and increased borrowing prospects made possible by the registration of a brand's intellectual property are all conceivable benefits. Other ways in which IPR might aid in the development of a brand include:

Marketing Messaging: Intellectual property registration allows it to be used in marketing plans. For example, if a product's patent is registered, it can be advertised as "the first" or "the only," distinguishing it from competitors. The same is true for geographical indications. Darjeeling Tea and Scotch Whiskey, for example, have a higher perceived worth than their competitors due to the geographical signal connected with them.

Improved Customer Selection: A strong intellectual property portfolio can pique the attention of customers in a company's product. For example, if a company's intellectual property portfolio is highly associated with social advances, a client with similar values will be more likely to do business with that company.

Competitive advantage: It is critical that businesses protect their brand identity. Competitors with low-quality items can leverage a company's brand identification to sell their product, which can be extremely harmful to a company's reputation. To avoid such misunderstandings, it is vital to secure significant brand assets with intellectual property.

Innovation and Product Development: Having a strong brand gives a company more market power. This allows the company to attract more qualified people, grow the company, and increase the quality of its products. A strong brand also generates more cash, which can be invested in product development and research, or in developing a stronger innovation culture within the organisation.

Global and online recognition: In today's interconnected world, firms must consider having a global presence. With the internet and global transportation networks at their current levels, it is simple for businesses to sell their products globally, and this expanded marketplace necessitates stronger intellectual property protection. Because a strong online presence is essential, businesses must also protect their intellectual property (domain names, webpage designs, and so on).

IPR is not the only option for a company to grow its brand and should be viewed as a means to an end. They must be used imaginatively and thoughtfully, and they must be viewed as more than just legal rights. As previously said, there are numerous more advantages to having a strong IPR portfolio that directly influences the development of a brand. IPR may be a highly important tool for organisations to assist them in growing their brand when used in conjunction with other tactics such as communication, marketing, media usage, quality control, and establishing an effective brand strategy.

Conclusion

Following a discussion of the function of intellectual property in branding, it is decided that a trademark provides statutory safety for a brand, but a brand can be defined as the representative portion of a company's image, which establishes and develops via earning trust. Companies should use trademark protection to protect their capital investment in building their brand. Although it is not required to incorporate a Trademark, the registered Trademark owner has significant benefits over the unregistered Trademark owner.

Trademark registration provides an exclusive right to the product and distinguishes it from comparable products offered by other businesses. A trademark is an intangible asset that protects the owner's brand for a longer period of time. The owner of a Trademark or a brand has the right to use such Trademarks, symbols, and expressions. In a market like India, a brand must be protected. As a result, obtaining a Trademark Registration is critical not because it is required, but because it is required.

That's all there is to it! Now you understand why brand building has become a standard marketing tactic among today's organisations. You must identify your brand, differentiate it, present it, and periodically examine what your brand stands for. It is critical to understand your branding strategy and how you intend to implement them. You should also implement brand tactics that give value to your customers and assist them in developing a positive perception of your company and what it genuinely stands for.

If you haven't already started incorporating this into your business to help it develop, you should do so right away.

Hope you enjoyed your reading and will consider securing your IPR.