The importance of protecting a brand becomes crucial in an industry as unique as fashion. With this in mind, the Elle International Fashion and Luxury Management Program invited us to offer a masterclass on IP to the students of its exclusive master’s degree, promoted by Elle, MIT Sloan Executive Education, and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM).
Isabel Cortés, the company’s Director of International Affairs, pointed out in her speech that there are three aspects that define the importance of intellectual property in the fashion industry. On the one hand, temporality -with phenomena such as the fast fashion- but also the multiple assets to be protected besides the brand, such as patents, industrial designs and industrial secrets, among others. On the other hand, the global nature of this industry must be factored in, “a key issue when defining the geographical scope of protection considering resources available,” she explained.
Among the challenges of the sector, Cortés pointed out the importance of planning and allocating resources both to brand creation and brand positioning, something that -along with internationalization and implementation of digital business models– is essential for a company to be successful in the fashion sector.
PONS IP’s Legal Department director, José Carlos Erdozain, also attended the session. He shared with the attendees the resources and procedures available within the Spanish law to address counterfeiting cases. To this end, he discussed both preventive defense as well as reactive defense options in the event our IP rights were breached once a counterfeit garment has already been seized.
After visiting Madrid, students from the Elle International Fashion and Luxury Management Program will travel to Paris, New York, and the MIT Sloan campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to learn about the latest trends in business management first-hand, from leading fashion companies. This innovative executive training project is led by Francisco J. Navarrete and seeks to provide students with the opportunity to get a 360º view of the industry, in addition to learning about the latest management trends from the most innovative fashion brands worldwide.
