Registering your luxury brand trademark with the U.S. Trademark Office gives you the greatest protection.
Hello, my dear readers! It feels like forever since we last got together, no?
When we last connected, some of us were crawled up in a ball, nursing paper cut wounds from pages of pre-Las Vegas paperwork; others were doing body shots of Four Loko to stay awake through pre-Vegas prep; all of us were eager for a magnificent Vegas jewelry week.
So how was Vegas for you? Tell me!
For me, it was an enchanting celebration of our industry: from the delightful banter and seduction I encountered with Sergio Antonini and his masterful balance of intimate and bold
gioielli italiani — to my connection with the Turkish ring master himself, Gurhan, which lead to a post-Vegas Atelier visit, where he and his wife, Fiona, kept me spellbound for hours with their love story — and to every exquisite meeting in between.
I experienced thrilling! Thought provoking! Subdued elegance! Kingly opulence! And that’s just from the conversations I had!
Which brings us back to this column.
As I navigated the floors of Couture and JCK, I heard firsthand your challenges with marketing and promoting yourself in this industry. This column has always existed to help you with just that, and I’m honored by all of you who welcomed me into your booths and shared your stories.
For the next few months, this column will be about your challenges. The stories will remain mostly anonymous, sharing only names for those who would benefit from being highlighted. All others, your secret is safe with me!
If I didn’t meet you in Vegas, you are always welcomed to email me your pressing PR questions, and I will address them in a future column.
Now, let’s begin!
Dear Lilian,
My brand has been around for almost two decades, and in all of that time, I’ve used the same tagline. Recently, a very well-known fashion brand has begun using my tagline in their recent campaign. What can I do?
Signed,
Imitation IS NOT the Sincerest Form of Flattery
My dear Imitation,
It’s a shame when titans of industry flaunt their army of lawyers to keep smaller brands intimidated. But good news for you: your particular Goliath has faced a David in the past – and lost! Given how much I’ve loved your work since we first met at Couture in 2009, I’m happy to offer you some rocks to throw!
Although my youthful ambitions were towards becoming a lawyer, alas, my life took a different path – one that’s brought me here to point you in the right direction for finding justice.
That direction is to attorney and National Jeweler friend, Joy Butler. This is what she had to say when I told her what’s going on:
