5.17.1. Protecting Our Brand

Protecting the brand (IP & TMs) IP (Intellectual Property) refers to items such as trademarks, copyrights, brands/logos and specific designs (to name a few).

Trademarks are extremely valuable marketing tools. The public identify a certain quality, standard and image with goods and/or services bearing specific trademarks. There is a concise and long standing IP policy in place pertaining to the use of SLSA and SLSQ Branding outlined in the SLSA Policy 6.01 – Intellectual Property.

Surf Life Saving goes to great lengths to help protect its IP and trademarks to ensure our brand stays strong and benefits the entire movement. It is imperative clubs support and protect the brand as much as they can.

Leading international business publications, business leaders and financial analysts agree brands represent valuable commercial assets that are well worth protecting. Strong brands have the power to create business value. They impact heavily on revenues and profit margins. Strong brands create commercial advantages by commanding a price premium and entry into markets that may not typically be available to organisations such as ours.

Our brand is more than a logo and it’s more than an image. Branding is the way in which you can create an emotional connection with people. The brand or mark you promote is a representation of that relationship.

Surf Life Saving is an iconic brand. SLSA holds copyright to a number of properties e.g. logos, activities, events. Most importantly we own the red and yellow flags, our patrol uniform and our logos. We also own the names Nippers, Surf Life Saving, Swim Between the Flags, Beach Patrol, Surf Rescue and Lifeguard.

The devices, images and names associated with Surf Life Saving have been registered as trademarks by SLSA and/ or SLSQ. These marks are symbolic of our organisation’s proud history and represent the most valuable asset we own. It is therefore essential for us to limit the use of our brand by third-parties to both protect and retain the value (financial and reputation) of our brand identity and to maintain tight controls against its misuse.

Both national and state sponsors pay significant amounts of money to obtain rights to use our intellectual property and brand as a demonstration of their support and partnership with us. This association with our brand creates a commercial advantage for these organisations therefore we must at all times ensure parity (equality) for the value we assign to these assets and protect the commercial interests of these sponsors. Risks associated with the misuse of our logo include:

• Potential to erode the brand and logos’ value for current and future use, leading to a loss of organisational profitability and/or anticipated competitive advantages in the commercial market
• Stifle or impede further development and/or economic commercialisation of the brand for the benefit of the movement as a whole
• Undermine planned transactions, investments, strategic business plans that SLSA or SLSNSW may have with sponsors
  

However, the most important aspect of brand protection is our legal obligation to defend any misuse of our brands/ trademarks/logos by non-rights holders. In the event we are required to demonstrate we have actively tried to protect one or all of our assets in a court of law (say if someone legally questioned our right to own the red and yellow patrol shirt), we must be able to demonstrate where we have vigorously defended its use and our claim to it, at all times.