Bell Nunnally partners Cheryl P. Leb and Saba F. Syed authored the Texas Bar Journal article “Expanding Beyond U.S. Borders – Strategic and Practical Guidance for Building and Protecting International Trademark Portfolios.” In the piece, Leb and Syed outline when businesses should consider international trademark filings, including when non-U.S. sales, global manufacturing or counterfeiting risks emerge. They note that because many jurisdictions operate on a first-to-file system, early filings can be critical to preserving brand rights as companies expand internationally, “[T]he decision to expand a trademark portfolio internationally involves strategic timing, jurisdictional nuance, and enforcement planning.”

The article also examines the principal filing pathways – national filings, regional systems such as the European Union trade mark and the Madrid Protocol – while noting that a hybrid approach can balance cost, flexibility and administrative efficiency. Leb and Syed emphasize the importance of aligning trademark strategy with a company’s business roadmap, writing that counsel should “begin with a portfolio audit and a realistic business map.”

With careful planning and disciplined portfolio management, the authors conclude, companies can “carry their brand equity confidently across borders.”

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