What impact will Brexit have for Food and Drink exports to Europe?

Answer

• The interesting thing here as far as IP goes – is there seems to be little that is subject to change. Brands will continue to be protected in the EU and UK with registered trade marks, and there is likely to be a period where EU marks are protected in the UK, even though the trade marks are not currently used in the UK. One issue that may impact trade post Brexit is consumer regulation. For example, some additives may be banned in the UK but not the EU and vis versa. There is also a big push to stop the export of live animals, which may mean that only refrigerated or frozen meat can be exported.
• More significant changes will occur behind the scenes (in relation to logistics, taxation, tariffs and so on.) This could, for example, increase the price of goods at the point of sale – or create issues within the supply chain such as delay and further inspection.
• The importance of IP can’t be underestimated especially in a world of online sales.
• Brand value and consistency will be very beneficial to companies as a stabilizing influence in the eyes of the consumer when so much behind the scenes may be subject to change.

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This answer was provided by Virtuoso Legal. For more information about how Virtuoso Legal can support you, visit their site at:

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This question was asked as part of our webinar on managing the legal risks of export. You can watch the recording of this webinar at:

https://opentoexport.com/webinars/managing-the-legal-risks-of-exporting/

If you’d like to learn more about protecting your trade marks overseas, check out the Institute’s new video training modules – produced in partnership with Virtuoso Legal – here:

http://www.export.org.uk/page/TrademarkVideoSeries

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Virtuoso Legal are a boutique firm of world class intellectual property solicitors. Over the past 10 years they have successfully represented clients in hundreds of intellectual property matters.