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Submarine Trademarks

Author

Listed:
  • Carsten Fink
  • Andrea Fosfuri
  • Christian Helmers
  • Amanda F. Myers

Abstract

Companies use trademarks to protect their brands from outright imitation or competition by confusingly similar products. However, publication of trademark filings by the trademark office discloses information about a firm's new product or service. This creates a trade-off between legal protection and disclosure of information. We analyze the trade-off through the lens of 'submarine trademarks' in the U.S. – submarine trademarks are trademarks whose publication and hence disclosure to the public is strategically delayed. This is achieved through a particular international filing strategy that is often combined with the use of shell companies to further conceal the trademark filing. These submarine strategies allow companies to benefit from legal trademark protection while reducing the risk of inadvertent disclosure of information. We provide the first systematic evidence of submarine trademarks and explore both their determinants and their effectiveness in reducing the disclosure of information.

Suggested Citation

  • Carsten Fink & Andrea Fosfuri & Christian Helmers & Amanda F. Myers, 2018. "Submarine Trademarks," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 51, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    • Handle: RePEc:wip:wpaper:51
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Kaiser, Franziska & Cuntz, Alexander & Peukert, Christian, 2023. "Batman forever? The role of trademarks for reuse in the US comics industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(8).
    2. D’Agostino, Lorena M. & Schiavo, Stefano, 2024. "Using trademarks to fend off import competition: Evidence from the top R&D-spending companies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trademark; submarine; strategic behavior; secrecy; product innovation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • M30 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - General
    • K11 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Property Law
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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