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30 September 2009

FRKelly at Marques 2009

The 2009 Marques Annual Conference centered on the theme of Sustainable Brands: A Luxury or a Necessity. Beginning on 15th September in Brighton, England the conference considered sustainability and to what extent eco-friendly polices can be reflected in a trade mark strategy.

Shane Smyth, Marques Council Member, introduced the conference theme making the point that it is not just the environment that has to be sustained, but brands themselves. He also talked about greenwashing and whether being green is a luxury we can afford.

There followed 2½ days of sessions looking at a number of issues including sustainability of brands in the food and healthcare sector, the environmental impact of brand marketing, and corporate social responsibility. The conference also held four workshops put together by the Designs team, the Cyperspace team, the Amicus Curiae team and the Regulatory team.

As part of the Amicus Curiae workshop, Carol Gormley, Trade Mark Associate, presented one of the five landmark cases currently under discussion at the ECJ.