Building a franchise through branding
The IP strategy: Trade mark registration
The founders recognised quite early the significance of registering their trade mark:
'We knew we had something so different that needed as much protection as possible from imitation. We were also developing a brand, not only for the actual cafes but for the range of products we saw resulting from the cafes' popularity.
"We met with a local trade mark attorney here in Brisbane, and got excellent advice on how to protect what we consider to be one of our most significant assets. Our registered trade mark protects our trade name and provides us with a consistent image to the marketplace. It's all about consumer recognition".
The Coffee Club trade mark is registered with IP Australia across a variety of classes.
Strategic registration in more than a dozen countries provides protection for what could conceivably be a global market.
Branding
The Coffee Club's visual brand is used extensively - not just on café signage but also on uniforms, name tags, crockery, matches, serviettes, and the packaging of its own-blend coffee beans and ground coffee packs.
IP a core business issue
The founders have also been vigilant about following up on accidental or intentional infringements of their trade mark:
'Intellectual property - our trade marks, copyrighted menus, brochures and so on - all of this is just as important to us as any other business issue. Maybe more so because that is what makes us distinctive, different from the rest'.
Franchising
The Coffee Club's secure IP is attractive to potential franchisees. 'After we had gone through the disclosure document with our solicitor, he said that the IP was solid and we would be protected from local and international competitors trying to imitate The Coffee Club brand, which could threaten our investment' says Kokoris.
The brand is also well protected internally, through the franchising agreement:
"The agreement was quite specific for how we are to use the brand .... But these guidelines offer us assurance that the brand's integrity will remain intact - every outlet owner needs to follow these guidelines so we can ensure the brand retains its value".
Last Updated: 15/9/2012
