Boult Wade Tennant
Sector » Consumer goods and retail

Consumer goods and retail

Areas of focus:

    Fashion
    Health and beauty
    Household goods
    Luxury goods
    Retail
    Smart Devices

Consumer goods and retail is a vast sector, ranging from clothing to electronics and household goods. The approach to intellectual property protection needs to be similarly varied. The strategy required to protect a large-scale, international brand across a multitude of jurisdictions may be very different to that required by a bespoke, independent retailer or producer. 

The consumer goods and retail sector is particularly interesting from an intellectual property perspective as it is a focal point where multiple forms of intellectual property meet. Patents can protect the technical innovations underpinning a product to reward companies for their investment in research and development. Registered designs, which help protect the appearance of the product from being copied by competitors, are important in this sector, as unique and visually appealing product designs can be a key selling point for consumers. Trade marks are also important as the companies selling the products look to establish their space in the market and are essential for building brand recognition and loyalty among customers.

As much as these rights are important for companies to secure, it is also equally important to navigate this mixture of rights when seeking to launch a product.

The growth of the digital economy and products such as cryptocurrency, NFTs, and the “metaverse” is also of increasing importance to consumer products. As brands and their products take on a second, digital life, often in the form of content production, existing intellectual property protection must be carefully considered to determine if an alternative or additional strategy is needed for this new marketplace.

The consumer goods and retail team at Boult
Our consumer goods and retail experts deal with the full spectrum of intellectual property for clients in sub-sectors across the industry. We work with a huge variety of clients at various stages of their journey of delivering to consumers.

We can help clients to secure their own rights in all of these areas, and provide advice when competitors try to enter into areas where our clients have protection.

On the other side, we assist new entrants to a marketplace in navigating existing rights to allow them to compete without infringing the current players’ intellectual property.

In addition to our offices in the UK and Germany  as well as Boult Wade, S.L. in Spain, we have developed strong relationships with local IP firms throughout the world. We are able to support international clients on global portfolios. For consumer goods the supply chain is often multi-jurisdictional and so a strong international approach can be crucial.

“In today’s highly competitive marketplace, consumer goods and retail companies that invest in IP protection are better positioned to succeed, as they can maintain their technical edge, build brand recognition, and foster customer loyalty. I enjoy working at this focal point for the various types of intellectual property and seeing our clients’ products on the shelves.”

Jonathan Pratt
PARTNER
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Case study

Founded by a serial entrepreneur and award winning businesswoman, our client – a footwear company – brings biomechanically engineered sandals to thousands of comfort-seeking people around the world.

Boult works with the company on drafting and prosecuting a significant number of patent applications. We have worked with the client from the beginning of its project to create footwear, that combines fashion and biomechanics, to the present day.

We have worked extensively with this company to build a portfolio with patents in more than 40 countries. We have also advised the client on its trade mark portfolio,  from the filing of a trade mark for its flagship fitness shoe, to now managing its international brand portfolio. On top of this we have filed numerous registered designs for its shoe lines around the world.

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Consumer goods and retail is a vast sector, ranging from clothing to electronics and household goods. The approach to intellectual property protection needs to be similarly varied. The strategy required to protect a large-scale, international brand across a multitude of jurisdictions may be very different to that required by a bespoke, independent retailer or producer. 

The consumer goods and retail sector is particularly interesting from an intellectual property perspective as it is a focal point where multiple forms of intellectual property meet. Patents can protect the technical innovations underpinning a product to reward companies for their investment in research and development. Registered designs, which help protect the appearance of the product from being copied by competitors, are important in this sector, as unique and visually appealing product designs can be a key selling point for consumers. Trade marks are also important as the companies selling the products look to establish their space in the market and are essential for building brand recognition and loyalty among customers.

As much as these rights are important for companies to secure, it is also equally important to navigate this mixture of rights when seeking to launch a product.

The growth of the digital economy and products such as cryptocurrency, NFTs, and the “metaverse” is also of increasing importance to consumer products. As brands and their products take on a second, digital life, often in the form of content production, existing intellectual property protection must be carefully considered to determine if an alternative or additional strategy is needed for this new marketplace.

The consumer goods and retail team at Boult
Our consumer goods and retail experts deal with the full spectrum of intellectual property for clients in sub-sectors across the industry. We work with a huge variety of clients at various stages of their journey of delivering to consumers.

We can help clients to secure their own rights in all of these areas, and provide advice when competitors try to enter into areas where our clients have protection.

On the other side, we assist new entrants to a marketplace in navigating existing rights to allow them to compete without infringing the current players’ intellectual property.

In addition to our offices in the UK and Germany  as well as Boult Wade, S.L. in Spain, we have developed strong relationships with local IP firms throughout the world. We are able to support international clients on global portfolios. For consumer goods the supply chain is often multi-jurisdictional and so a strong international approach can be crucial.

What sets us apart
Our very highly regarded team includes a number of leading experts in their fields, with in-depth experience in a wide range of sectors and industries from healthcare and beauty to consumer technology, fashion and designer goods. We have strong teams in all of the key areas of intellectual property for consumer goods, and an excellent track record in working across teams to plan and implement a comprehensive strategy for our clients.

We work closely with our clients to provide advice and support which is tailored to our clients’ needs, to provide the best possible service to them. Our service is also scalable, designed to grow with our clients as their brands and product portfolios develop.

Whatever area of the industry you operate in, our specialist advisors in the UK, Germany and Spain will offer insight and add value. We pride ourselves on being ahead of the game.

Recent highlights

  • Advising a producer and retailer of high-end beauty products with a unique subscription model, on its brand and product trade marks. We have been delighted to work with the founder throughout the growth of its portfolio. We provide filings services, as well as clearance exercises, brand watching and reviews of existing third party marks for the breadth of the portfolio. 
  • Boult is proud to work with a well-known clothing designer and manufacturer in protecting its innovative fashion designs through UK registered design applications. Our experienced team has filed hundreds of registered designs for its collections twice a year, positioning the client as one of the top ten UK registered design filers. This helps the company to continue producing exceptional fashion pieces by providing them with protection against competitors in the UK.

Consumer goods and retail team

Partners

Tessa Bucks
Partner London
Adrian Hayes
Partner Reading
Dr Jo Pelly
Partner Reading
Daryl Penny
Partner Reading
Tony Pluckrose
Senior Partner London
Dr Michelle Pratt
Partner London
Jonathan Pratt
Partner London
Matthew Ridley
Partner London
Dr Oliver Rutt
Partner London
Dr Rohan Setna
Partner London
Dr James Short
Partner London
Marcus Sims
Partner London
Neil Thomson
Partner Cambridge
Dr Nigel Tucker
Partner Reading
Daniel Weston
Partner London
Dr Nick Widdowson
Partner Cambridge

Senior associates

Dr Frances Baxter
Senior Associate Cambridge
Malcolm Elkin
Senior Associate Reading
Joshua McFarlane
Senior Associate London
Dr Josephine Talbot-Ponsonby
Senior Associate Reading

Attorneys

Christopher Jones
Patent Attorney London
Olivia Murray
Patent Attorney London
Dr Thomas Ricketts
Patent Attorney Cambridge
David Smitten
European Patent Attorney Reading
Dr Sebastian Stephan
European Patent Attorney, German Patent Attorney Frankfurt
Alex Stephenson
Patent Attorney London
Dr Carolina Strohmaier-Meiß
European Patent Attorney, German Patent Attorney Frankfurt
Dr Jordan Waters
Patent Attorney London
Jade Watt
Patent Attorney Reading

Assistants and trainees

Anna Jones
Patent Trainee London
Michael Kahan
Patent Attorney London