MARQUES
MARQUES, or the Association of European Brand Owners, is an organization that represents trademark owners, trademark law professionals, and intellectual property owners. MARQUES was formed in 1987 in order to represent trademark owners who found it difficult to present their common issues and manage these issues effectively amidst the significant change in IP landscape, launch of Community Trademark (CTM) and Register Community Design (RCD), The Harmonization of European Trademark Law, The Rapid development of the Madrid System and Emergence of Domain Name Registrations and Disputes.[1][2]
MARQUES have more than 750 corporate members based not only in Europe but also around the world. The association deals with matters related to management of members' trademarks and also represents the interests of its members. Together, the members of MARQUES own more than 3 million domain names across the globe.[3]
Mission
The main mission of MARQUES is to educate as well as promote the professional development of brand owners in the management, selection, exploitation and protection of their trademarks. Additionally, they provide a forum wherein there can be a free exchange of information as well as free flow of ideas, but also where the brand owners can put forward their specific interests.[4][5]
Members
MARQUES consist of more than 750 trademark owners and trademark law professionals. These members are highly active in the various aspects of Intellectual Property law and cover the areas of law that deal with brand protection.
Though MARQUES is based in Europe, the members of MARQUES come from all around the world, including representatives from such companies as Syngenta, Nestle, Diageo Coty, Bacardi, Red Bull, Gucci, Hoffman La Roche, DSM, InBev, GlaxosmithKline, Sara Lee, and Tetra Pak and so on.
The members of MARQUES alone account for two million domain names, out of which majority are the gTLDs. Majority of the MARQUES members comprise of the Internet Stakeholder Constituency.[6]
MARQUES and ICANN
MARQUES have been a close follower of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). It has been following its initiative related to the implementation of the new gTLDs. MARQUES had also come into support of the efforts of ICANN Board to protect the trademarks of the small and medium enterprises. It also suggested ICANN that the right protection should be universal for all the businesses. [7]
References