INTA joins the brand value discussion

INTA – the International Trademark Association – is a powerful global advocacy association of trademark owners and trademark professionals with over 7,000 member organizations and over 31,000 individual members, in particular IP counsels and lawyers.

INTA announced that it will engage in focused research designed to provide a set of recommendations and action for INTA to pursue in relation to brand value and materials needed to explain brand value, brand equity and brand valuation to stakeholders, professionals, and consumers.  Recently, the INTA Board of Directors approved the creation of a Brand Value Special Task Force.

This move is long overdue. INTA is a most influential body which cares about the (enforceable) creation and protection of trademarks. As such, INTA is the advocate of trademarks as protectable, separable and transferable assets – a most important aspect in financial valuation. We expect that INTA’s view on the financial value of brands will be more rational and factual than that of many marketers and advertisers (who spend most of the brand-related money but have some difficulties to prove the benefits of their doing).

INTA’s findings related to brand value are eagerly awaited. It would be desirable for members of INTA’s special taskforce to approach financial valuation to obtain ideas, inputs and data. Hopefully, INTA will not come up with another new standard for brand valuation.