SMEs and Intellectual property

From the legal suit to business cooperation - GEGULA

“Business company Gegula Ltd had a problem with the registration of trademark for a sign similar, according to the result of research at the IPO, with the previously registered trademark JOHNNIE WALKER. Apart from that we received a letter of warning from the holder of this trademark Diageo Brands B.V. for infringement. We seriously understood the facts that the letter was indicating to, and we acted in accordance with his request. After that, at mutual pleasure, we concluded an agreement on cooperation. So, a business partnership was the outcome of a legal suit. Therefore, before you enter into a legal suit, think if the dispute can be peacefully resolved or if the business cooperation might appear as an outcome.

We protected our redesigned brand with a trademark. The sign consists from a stylization of a man in the folk costume of Sumadija. It is easy to recognize the opanci shoes with the bended tips, jelek embroidered with the national designed embroidery, sajkaca cap and moustache characteristic for a “true Serbian peasant”. The person firmly stands on his feet and holds a bottle – cokanj in his right hand and toasts to all the people of good will. The sign contains the slogan Gegula – stay on your feet.

The registration of trademark brought us security in doing business. The competition accepts us with respect as the “serious players”. The customers are satisfied (with quality and design) and they like in particular the fact that they are buying something protected by a registration and original. We have a serial of advantages with the suppliers. Now, all the organizers of fairs, manifestations and promotions invite us with respect to participate. We have much more guests – visitors of our site. Apart from protecting our site, in accordance with the development of new products, we plan to file new applications for the grant of trademark and industrial design. Then, in the framework of fairs that we organize, which have as a goal the development of entrepreneurship and etno values in Serbia, we include the lectures from intellectual property. For our own educational needs, we use the publications from this field that can be found in abundance at the site of the IPO (especially the book Secrets of Intellectual Property – manual for small and medium exporters). Thanks to the service of the IPO, IP diagnosis, we found out about the importance of arranging issues regarding copyright, for a legal person. So, on our web site http://www.gegula.rs/ we put the mark C 2013 Gegula Etno Center All rights reserved”

Bearing in mind that GEGULA has a good position on the home market and important buyers in the region, the efficient management of intellectual property can realize important advantage with regard to the other competition. Therefore, the registration of trademark is only the first step. By careful and regular monitoring of one s own and competitots IP, Gegula takes care of its own intellectual resources in an easier, economic and quality manner.”

Milan Jovicic, owner

Experiences of Serbian companies

Find out first hand the stories of Serbian companies about the experience with intellectual property