Cassels Brock Brand Management Team recognized for excellence

World Trademark Review lauds lawyers

TORONTO, April 9, 2012 /CNW/ - Several members of the Cassels Brock Brand Management and trademark team, which includes Catherine Dennis Brooks, Shane Hardy and John McKeown, have been recognized for work excellence, most recently by the WTR 1000 list, compiled by the World Trademark Review.

According to the WTR 1000, Ms. Dennis Brooks is "highly experienced and admired", Mr. Hardy is "one of the market's real up and comers" handling a mix of contentious and non-contentious matters and Mr. McKeown is "impressively effective".  The team assists companies with all aspects of brand management, and is set to help with the registration of 'sound marks'.

Applications to register sound trademarks are now being accepted in Canada, thanks to a recent Federal Court of Canada order.  But does that mean companies will immediately jump on the trademark bandwagon to protect sounds associated with their brands?

They will if they want to be sure these sounds are protected to the same extent as other brands and logos, according to Shane Hardy, partner and trademark lawyer, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP.

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office, effective immediately, will accept applications to register sound marks, according to a March 28, 2012 announcement.

"This will provide companies with a method to protect another identifying portion of its brand," Mr. Hardy explained.

Sound mark applications must include:

• a statement that the application is for the registration of a sound mark
• a drawing that graphically represents the sound
• a description of the sound; and
• an electronic recording of the sound in MP3 or WAVE format, limited to 5 MB in size and recorded on a CD or DVD.

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a leading Canadian law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy and advisory needs of Canada's most dynamic business sectors. One of the largest business law practices in Canada, the firm represents multinational, national and mid-market entities and is dedicated to providing value-driven advice in the areas of brand management, including intellectual property, copyright and trademarks, corporate and commercial law, securities and corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, advocacy and dispute resolution, tax, real estate and international business.

For information, or to interview a member of our Brand Management team contact:  Teresa Donia, iAMBIC Communications, 905-508-5550 or [email protected]