To avoid legal proceedings

• Latvia

• Intellectual property

26-02-2013

Author: Inese Kalnāja-Zelča

Kapitāls, 03/2013 (183)

“Zīmols” is not a legal term. It was introduced into the Latvian language when seeking for a suitable Latvian word for the English word “brand” and it was indeed a very successful find – the word “zīmols” became very popular within a short period of time. Unfortunately, it is still frequently used as a synonym of the word “preču zīme” (trademark). A trademark (service mark) (preču zīme/pakalpojumu zīme) is a legal term and according to the definition provided by the law it is as designation used to distinguish goods (or services) of one company from goods (or services) of other companies.
Hence it should be indicated with regard to brands used in business that every brand is also a trademark, while not every trademark is a brand.

A brand is more than a recognizable trademark, it has a particular image that is related to the respective product, sometimes it involves a promise of belonging to a particular lifestyle or social group, it might have an emotional connotation, an additional promise of the product features, origin, history and even more so, each consumer who is addressed by the respective brand may have a different perception of the product that might not be in any way whatsoever related to the actual situation.

Full article in Latvian language available HERE.