Bumper show issue - Gift Focus magazine

making the mostof exhibitingWith the curtain set to rise on this year’s Autumn Fair International, DidsMacdonald, CEO of the organisation Anti Copying in Design (ACID),looks at maximising the return on investment in your brand by creatingvalue out of intellectual property (IP)In the current economic downturn, now more than ever, every singlepound spent investing in exhibiting and promoting existing and newproducts needs to pay dividends.Following recent talks with Emap, where ACID outlined their IPsteering group’s recommendations, Emap has pledged its ongoingcommitment to IP protection. Emap believes that helping its customersto protect their IP is another way to help them grow their businesses.Exhibitions are still the most critical springboard to the successfullaunch of any new product range so it is important to use your IP as apositive force. When used as an integral part of your marketing strategyand brand building, a sound IP plan will give you the infrastructureto go to market with confidence. Knowing that your company nameand product range is protected as much as possible from copycatsand by using your IP credentials for brand expansion i.e. licensing,manufacturing and franchising agreements, you will ensure even greatercommercial success. ACID will be on hand at Autumn Fair (entrance tohall 3, SL02) to support all exhibitors if there are any copying complaints.Remember careful handling of any dispute can have a swift andsatisfactory outcome!In an ACID IP seminar at Autumn Fair 2010, to be held on Tuesday 7 thSeptember at 2pm, visitors will gain practical advice on how to protecttheir products whilst looking at the positive aspects of brand protectionand making money from ideas. ACID will be supported by Niall Head-Rapson, partner of McDaniel & Co, an ACID accredited law firm thathas helped and advised many Spring and Autumn Fair exhibitors.Prior to the exhibition there are some practical and low coststrategies businesses can adopt to ensure their IP message iscommunicated loudly and clearly:1. Ensure you have documentation to prove that you own the IP rightsor have a licence to market the goods that appear on your stand.Emap has confirmed that every exhibitor at its events must sign a legalagreement upholding professional standards regarding intellectualproperty to confirm that they own the rights or have a licence tomarket the products on their stands.2. Make sure that this information is easily accessible. In any disputethe onus is on the complainant to provide evidence of ownership,originality and date of creation.3. Consider applying for a registered community design (RCD)www.oami.europa.eu. This is a monopoly right covering 27 memberstates and lasts for 25 years. You will have a numbered certificate thatconfirms ownership of any new design. For a design to qualify forregistration it must be new, have individual character, not be similarto anything already in the marketplace and not copied from another.It is very difficult to take action at an exhibition if there is no designaudit trail or evidence to support registered/unregistered designs. AllAutumn Fair exhibitors can call the ACID IP mobile legal helpline forfree advice during the exhibition on 07956 229876.4. Have a no photography policy! Remember with phone cameras,your designs can be sent across the world in seconds and could bemass-produced before you even pack up your stand! All exhibitorsat Autumn Fair are given an ACID No Photography sign. Look forit in the exhibitor’s pack on the first morning of the fair. New signs66 giftfocus