Fluid trademarks offer a new way for brands to engage with their customers, but given their shape-shifting nature and short shelf life, protecting them with IP is not straightforward. TBO investigates.
Even if the term isn’t familiar, the chances are you’ve already seen a fluid trademark.
Used to great effect by brands such as Google and Absolut, as well as UK broadcaster Channel 4, fluid trademarks are those presented in an unconventional way. An old logo may be recast in different colours, given some movement or merged with different images to make it more suited to the digital world.
For example, visit Google’s homepage on any day and you’re likely to see a reinterpretation of the standard Google logo, or what has been dubbed a ‘Google doodle’.
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trademarks, Google, logo, branding