Introduction

A personal note

In common with most teachers of trademark law who belong to my generation, I did not have the benefit of formal instruction in the subject. I was, however, fortunate to experience trademarks in many different ways. As a consumer, I have relied on the information conveyed by trademarks when making my purchase decisions. I have published Trademark World magazine and have been threatened with legal proceedings for trademark infringement. I have edited the European Trademark Reports and written Trademark Law: a Practical Anatomy. During brief spells out of academe, I was responsible for protecting and enforcing a trademark for food preparations and also gained first-hand experience of trademark creation when I worked for a branding consultancy. As a law teacher, I have studied both the theory and practice of trademark law, noting the points at which it borders other legal subjects (e.g. unfair competition, copyright, competition law) and non-legal subjects (e.g. economics, psychology, management studies).

It may be helpful to list here the range of trademark law teaching that I have carried out. My target audiences have included fully qualified, partqualified and trainee lawyers and trademark attorneys; OHIM staff; groups of trademark owners and groups of employees drawn from a single trademark owner; newspaper publishers; and postgraduate and undergraduate students. Topics taught range from the mundane (registrability, infringement, opposition) through the speculative (need for law reform, the predicted consequences of new laws) to the relatively exotic (trademarks and freedom of speech, securitization and brand valuation).