Just in 2020, the world’s largest retailer, Amazon reportedly spent roughly $22 billion on marketing. In case you are wondering why such a big brand is spending so much money on promoting its brands and products, the result in its upward movement from the 4th most valuable brand in the world to the 2^nd spot (estimated value at $254.2 billion from $135.4 billion in 2020) justifies the costs.

This is the free and open trade secret – big brands know the investment in brand promotion and protection is really worth the cost. Consequently, there is a huge IP portfolio with countless moving parts that need to be managed.

Like many other international companies, it is not unlikely to find a central Brands Unit or IP Management System or law firm that handles the protection of the company’s large IP Portfolio.

But then, what can possibly go wrong if a product or design or invention is introduced into a market in Africa without an adequate brand protection strategy and an actionable plan?

The following are what I term “Trademark Ghosts” because of their clandestine operations to sabotage the goodwill and reputation of a business…

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