Which? backs KJM’s trademark warning
29th August 2017

Consumer body Which? is backing installer KJM Group in its campaign to warn businesses about protecting their trade names from copycat online advertisers.

The organisation is issuing a warning to its Trusted Trader network to watch out for ‘sharp business practices’ and encouraging businesses to register their brands as Trademarks. It warns that ‘registering your businesses name with Companies House, is not the same as protecting it with a Trademark’.

The call comes after KJM’s Mark Pearce reported (read story) how an unconnected company ran a series of Google Ads with the header 'KJM Windows – Top Quality Windows and Doors – cheapest-double-glazing.com’.

Because KJM Group had not registered its name as Trademark, the practice was perfectly legal. As such it also meant KJM could not challenge the use of its name with Google.

Mark said: “It’s been a very frustrating time but the positive is that we have been able to raise awareness of the importance of registering your company name as a trademark to other installers and members of the Which? Trusted Traders scheme.

“We hadn’t registered our company name as a Trademark – something that we have now done – which meant that it wasn’t protected and we had no real right of legal redress, even though the advertisements used our company name and traded off our reputation. And because we hadn’t registered the KJM Windows as a Trademark, we also couldn’t make any headway with or get it removed by Google.

He is now takin gup the Matter with his MP because he feels existing laws have not kept up to date with new media such as the internet.

Registration of a Trademark gives a business the exclusive right to use the mark or authorise someone else to use it, for the goods or services for which it is registered. This includes the legal basis for action against someone who uses it to promote the same or similar goods for which its registered. This also empowers businesses to seek specific redress from Google under its own code of practices.

www.kjmgroup.co.uk