What are the most common reasons for receiving a trademark office action?

Numerous entrepreneurs could start their story with the words “inspired by life” and Tom Revill, the founder of Plank hardware, is certainly one of them. “Plank Hardware all started with a few planks of wood and a new flat. We found that finding the right hardware at a reasonable price wasn’t so easy. We were so happy with the final pieces that we started making and selling them to friends, family and online. As a start-up, we’ve invested everything into our products and building our brand, so protecting that is really important to us.”

“Our goal at Cyber Expedite™ is to modernise the cyber security service procurement industry, to help organisations answer one simple question: I know I need a security service; I just don’t know what to ask for and who provides that service. We put so much effort into trading names and reviewing web domain registrations etc, why would you not want to protect that?” Cyber Expedite, founded by Niall McEvoy, seeks to add value to every organisation by simplifying the scoping and delivery of cyber security solutions and services.

Satirical adaptations of well-known brands have become a common thing and profitable market for many lesser-known companies. Besides being an effective mean to attract more customers, parody products can also be a good defence against trademark lawsuits, as in many cases, brand owners have limited options to enforce their rights against satirical adaptations.