Norton Rose Fulbright Ireland
Are global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright thinking about opening and Irish Office, one (me) wonders?
Here’s a Trademark Application filed with the Irish Patents office on Monday that’s quite interesting…
Leaving aside the irony of Norton Rose Fulbright using MacLachlan & Donaldson to apply for the trademark to start with, why would they be applying for such a trademark?
Well, the honest answer is I don’t know.
The same company (NRF IP Services Limited) already have an EUTM for Norton Rose Fulbright for the identical service (Class 45. Legal Services). Here it is in fact:
Clearly, that EUTM also covers Ireland, making the Irish trademark application arguably redundant.
Anyway, in the interests of wild speculation, given that we now live in a Post Brexit world and where several UK Law firms are rumoured to be coming to Ireland, opening Irish offices and branches, or at least registering their solicitors here, and things might start to fall into place (equally, they may not)
See this Financial Times Article – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee90a46c-500a-11e6-88c5-db83e98a590a.html#axzz4HgUlgn5I
and this Irish Times Article on the same issue – http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/uk-lawyers-seek-to-join-irish-roll-after-brexit-1.2733152#.V5dJj93AN9Q.linkedin
Norton Rose clearly have an interest in Brexit (who doesn’t, right) and have registered www.insidebrexitlaw.com (incidentally, check out my own website www.brexittrademarks.com, and I will have www.thebrexitlaw.com coming soon)
Here’s a list of the Norton Rose Fulbright trademarks worldwide while we’re at it sure:
So, there you have it, an Irish Trademark Application for Norton Rose Fulbright. Something, or nothing??
Discuss.
