Thomson Reuters Study Charts Surge in Middle Eastern Trademarks

- Pharmaceutical, Automotive, and Consumer Companies Protect their Brands in Complex Region

NORTH QUINCY, Massachusetts, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson CompuMark, a Thomson Reuters Intellectual Property & Science business and global leader in trademark searching and brand protection solutions, today released the results of its study of Middle Eastern trademarks. The findings, which are featured in the Thomson Reuters report, "Trademarks in the Middle East: A New Frontier for Brand Expansion," detail the rise of the Middle East as an emerging hotbed for trademark growth, as both domestic and U.S. companies have begun to work diligently to protect their brands in the region.

Following are among the key findings in the report:

• The Emerging Consumer Market: In 2011, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates were the top five trademark-publishing countries, driven by a largely consumer marketplace. While Israel has published the most trademarks in the region since 1990, Saudi Arabia led the pack with nearly 25,000 trademarks in the past year. Overall, the spike reflects a 600 percent increase over the last 22 years.
• Pharma on the Frontlines: Of the top 10 trademark filers in the region for 2011, half were pharmaceutical/health care companies. They included Johnson & Johnson (1), Sanofi (2), GlaxoSmithKline (3), Merck (5), and Novartis (6).
• Expensive IP: With no centralized patent office, brands looking to secure trademark protection across the Middle East must do so on a country-by-country basis. The fees for filing trademarks are substantial and at times can be more than triple the cost in the United States.

"Our analysis reveals the Middle East is an opportunistic region for any multinational firm seeking to expand globally," said Jeroen Lallemand, product marketing director, Thomson Reuters IP Solutions. "While there isn't a one size fits all trademark strategy for the politically and culturally diverse region, with the right knowledge, investment of time, and resources, brand owners are in the best position in years to grow a strong consumer base."

The data in this report was compiled using SAEGIS on SERION® from Thomson CompuMark to identify trends in trademark applications, registrations, objections, and claims between 1990 and 2011.

Referred to as "One World. One Source," SAEGIS on SERION, an online trademark screening solution, centralizes the largest comprehensive collection of screening databases available anywhere, including the Middle East.

To view the full Trademarks in the Middle East report, visit:  http://trademarks.thomsonreuters.com/resources/special-report-middle-east

ABOUT THOMSON COMPUMARK
Thomson CompuMark develops and delivers intelligent trademark information and trademark research services. We provide trademark and brand professionals the information needed to protect the value of brands while reducing the time, costs, complexity and risks of managing trademark portfolios. Thomson CompuMark is part of Thomson Reuters and employs more than 600 people worldwide, with operational and sales offices in Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, go to http://compumark.thomson.com.

ABOUT THOMSON REUTERS
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs approximately 60,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.