Trademarks have long become an integral part of people’s lives, representing related products. Head&Shoulders is one such trademark, with the product having been integrated so firmly into the cosmetics and cleaning products market that it has become inseparable from the product that it represents. Although Head&Shoulders is only a brand name, due to clever advertising and a well-developed marketing program, it has become as broadly known as the company that has produced it.
While Procter&Gamble, the company that produced the brand, is known for offering its buyers cosmetics and cleaning products, in general, Head&Shoulders is related solely to a shampoo brand of the same name. While the specified approach of branding each product type with a unique name might seem confusing, it has proven to be especially effective in building memorable and easily recognizable brands. In its attempts to abstain from any suspicious and controversial issues, the company developed a trademark that would not entail any questions or litigations from any other organization. Quite the contrary, Head&Shoulders has filed charges against other companies for misusing the trademark (“P&G sues Vi-Jon for trademark infringement,” 2016). While protecting the IP of Head&Shoulders in the U.S. has been quite easy for the company, its recent foray into the Chinese market may imply certain difficulties in keeping its IP safe (“Intellectual property rights in China,” n.d.).
In the U.S., the process of trademark registration is quite difficult presently. While Head&Shoulders was registered successfully, there are several complications to be considered. Specifically, to protect a trademark as an intellectual property (IP), one must fill out a form on the official state of the U.S. Government (United States Patent and Trademark Office, n.d.). Section 15 is specifically related to the incontestable rights of the IP owner (United States Patent and Trademark Office, n.d.). As a rule, it takes 1-1.5 years to register a trademark officially (United States Patent and Trademark Office, n.d.).
Despite representing only one of the multiple brands that Procter&Gamble can boast, Head&Shoulders has become so ubiquitous and broadly used both across the U.S. and globally that it has gained a special status of its own. As a result, the trademark has also become the brand name that is easily recognizable among most people. With a strong brand history associated with the trademark, Head&Shoulders has been firmly integrated into the American market and abroad, allowing Procter&Gamble to branch out into other products and create other memorable brands.
References
Intellectual property rights in China. (n.d.). WongFleiming.
P&G sues Vi-Jon for trademark infringement. (2016). Cosmetics Business.
United States Patent and Trademark Office. (n.d.). Trademark initial application form.