FMCG or ‘fast-moving consumer goods’ are goods that are sold quickly at low cost, such as packaged food and beverages, personal care products, cleaning products, and other household items. In this competitive and fast-paced environment, innovation is vital to keep up with consumer demands and evolving health, safety, and environmental regulations.

At HGF, our dedicated FMCG team are experts in a range of specialist areas, including personal care products, cosmetics, cleaning products, paints & coatings, food & drink, baby products, pet care, off-the-shelf medicines and nutraceuticals, stationery & printing products, sports & fitness goods, and automotive parts.

We partner with our clients to safeguard their innovative products and brands by helping them to develop strong, future-focused IP strategies.  As part of these strategies, we work with our clients to ensure that innovative developments are appropriately captured, build and manage commercially relevant IP portfolios, and advise on minimising freedom-to-operate risks.

We routinely represent our clients in EPO oppositions and appeals in the FMCG space and have extensive experience in IP negotiation and enforcement.

Our trade mark experts are acutely aware of the challenges for FMCG brands presented by lookalikes and can advise on strategic trade mark and design protection to help deter lookalikes and on targeted enforcement strategies to combat lookalikes if this becomes necessary.

We also provide bespoke advice on how to protect our FMCG clients’ packaging, be that wrap packaging, containers, bottles or designs, utilising both trade marks and registered designs.

HGF is pleased to be able to offer online and offline brand enforcement services to help identify and tackle counterfeits on the market. This includes online monitoring and enforcement on marketplaces, social media and infringing websites, advising on and implementing customs watch strategies to help tighten control of infringing imports and exports, working with local law enforcement agencies such as Trading Standards and PIPCU to help remove infringing goods from the market.

Whether you’re a multinational brand or an emerging innovator, our expertise can help turn your IP into a competitive advantage.