World-famous UK golf and country club
Clearing the fairway for global expansion through comprehensive brand name clearance searches and strategic naming and filing advice.
Background #
A world-famous UK golf and country club, with over a century of heritage, had planned a significant expansion into Southeast Asia. The project involved launching a new, luxury resort brand.
This new brand needed to be distinct yet clearly draw its prestige and value from the heritage of the home club.
Before committing to the multi-million-pound investment, the board needed absolute certainty that their chosen new brand name was legally available and protectable in all key markets.
The process #
Murgitroyd was engaged at an early stage to provide the IP framework for the launch.
Given the international nature of the project and its focus on key wealth centres, it was critical to identify and manage trade mark risk from the outset, while still enabling the client to move forward with confidence in their chosen brand. Our role was to balance legal protection with commercial pragmatism, ensuring the brand could be launched securely and at pace. This included:
- Global clearance: We conducted comprehensive clearance searches across the primary target markets in Southeast Asia and other strategic wealth centres. Our search revealed a moderate risk from a local developer using a phonetically similar name in one country.
- Strategic naming advice: Instead of recommending that they abandon their preferred name, we provided strategic advice. We advised on how to legally position the new brand, avoid objections, and clearly differentiate its offering in the marketplace from the existing trade mark.
- Co-ordinated global filing: With the strategy agreed, we executed an agreed and cost trade mark filing program. This secured the new brand name and logo, ensuring the club had a legally sound and commercially powerful asset before breaking ground.
The outcome #
The new brand was successfully registered in all key markets, giving the club's board the green light to proceed with their investment. Murgitroyd's work provided the critical legal foundation for the development, protecting the new brand without the risk of a future legal dispute or a forced rebrand.
Attorney involved #
