Famous Belgian Waffles: The Road to Global Success with an Intellectual Property Portfolio

Innovention Food Resources Inc. started operations in the Philippines in 2012 with the Famous Belgian Waffles brand and quickly became one of the country's fastest-growing franchise chains. The company, offering franchise packages with standard food carts, kiosks, and counter options with seating areas, reached 300 stores nationwide within three years. Today, with nearly 600 stores, the company operates 70% of these stores as franchises and aims to expand into international markets.

The brand’s main appeal lies in its innovative waffle sandwiches. These unique products, which have gained a massive following on social media, have set Famous Belgian Waffles apart in the competitive food industry in the Philippines.

Prioritizing Intellectual Property

Despite the brand's rapid success, the company management recognized that more steps were needed for long-term sustainability. In this regard, intellectual property (IP) management was designated as a strategic priority. Initially, IP was seen merely as a "compliance requirement," and its potential business impact was not fully appreciated. At first, the brand only had a trademark registration for its logo in the Philippines.

To shift this mindset, the company joined the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Intellectual Property Management Clinic (IPMC) program. This four-month global program, led by the WIPO Singapore Office, supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing IP strategies. The program helps businesses evaluate their products, processes, and technologies in terms of IP ownership and third-party IP rights usage. It also offers individual and group counseling, expert guidance, and training on managing IP assets more effectively.

From Passive Approach to Active IP Advocacy

Through the program,

• The company management gained a better understanding of the strategic impact of IP on the business.
• Consequently, they partnered with an IP law firm (Bengzon & Untalan) to take over all IP filings and manage existing assets.
• They also created an inventory of IP assets and began discussing patents, industrial designs, and copyright registrations to explore potential areas of protection.

The Famous Belgian Waffles brand received a "secondary meaning" registration in the Philippines, indicating that Filipino customers associate the term "Famous Belgian Waffles" with Innovention Food Resources' brand rather than waffles from Belgium.

Global Growth with WIPO and the Madrid System

In line with the goal of expanding into international markets, the company began exploring WIPO's Madrid System. The Madrid System allows for the central and cost-effective registration of trademarks in 131 countries.

• The company took the first step by registering their trademarks in the United Arab Emirates and Mongolia.
• In the United States, a "Statement of Use" application was filed for their brand logo, and potential areas for protection in other countries are being evaluated.
• During the global expansion process, the company faced several challenges, including a counterfeiting attempt in India. Following guidance from WIPO, legal actions were taken. A cease-and-desist letter and local legal support resulted in the counterfeit business changing its brand.
• Additionally, due to the geographical and descriptive nature of the term "Belgian waffle," the company decided to use the name “Famous Waffle Sandwich” in some countries.

New Strategies for IP Protection

In line with WIPO's recommendations, the company strengthened its policies for managing trade secrets and confidential information. Non-disclosure agreements with employees were revised, and internal management policies were reviewed.

These steps, which strengthened the company’s IP portfolio, resulted in a 20% increase in franchise value, clearly demonstrating the strong link between proactive IP management and business success.

Innovention Food Resources Inc. has effectively leveraged the opportunities provided by WIPO to turn the Famous Belgian Waffles brand into a success story in the Philippines, and now aims to replicate this success on the global stage.

As General Manager Jackie Dela Cruz puts it,

"Once you open your eyes, you can’t close them again. If businesses are creating IP assets worthy of registration, they must carefully protect these innovations."

Famous Belgian Waffles: Fikri Mülkiyet Portf?yüyle Küresel Ba?ar?ya Giden Yol

Innovention Food Resources Inc., Famous Belgian Waffles markas?yla 2012 y?l?nda Filipinler’de faaliyete ge?ti ve k?sa sürede ülkenin en h?zl? büyüyen franchise zincirlerinden biri haline geldi. Standart g?da arabas?, kiosk ve oturma alanl? tezgah se?enekleriyle franchise paketleri sunan ?irket, ü? y?l i?inde ülke genelinde 300 ma?azaya ula?t?. Bugün ise yakla??k 600 ma?azas? bulunan ?irket, bu ma?azalar?n %70’ini franchise olarak i?letiyor ve uluslararas? pazarlara a??lmay? hedefliyor.

Markan?n temel cazibesi, yenilik?i waffle sandvi?lerinde yat?yor. Sosyal medyada büyük bir hayran kitlesi toplayan bu ?zgün ürünler, Famous Belgian Waffles’? Filipinler’in rekabet?i g?da sekt?ründe ?ne ??karan bir unsur haline geldi.

Fikri Mülkiyetin ?ncelik Haline Gelmesi

Markan?n h?zl? ba?ar?s?na ra?men ?irket y?netimi, uzun vadeli sürdürülebilirlik i?in daha fazla ad?m at?lmas? gerekti?inin fark?ndayd?. Bu do?rultuda, fikri mülkiyet (IP) y?netimini stratejik bir ?ncelik olarak belirlediler. Ancak ba?lang??ta IP, sadece bir “uyumluluk gereklili?i” olarak g?rülüyordu ve potansiyel i? etkileri yeterince takdir edilmiyordu. ?lk ba?larda markan?n Filipinler’de yaln?zca logosu i?in bir ticari marka tescili bulunuyordu.

Bu anlay??? de?i?tirmek i?in ?irket, Dünya Fikri Mülkiyet ?rgütü’nün (WIPO) Fikri Mülkiyet Y?netim Klini?i (IPMC) program?na kat?ld?. WIPO Singapur Ofisi taraf?ndan yürütülen bu d?rt ayl?k global program,

• Kü?ük ve orta ?l?ekli i?letmelere (KOB?) IP stratejileri geli?tirme konusunda destek sa?l?yor.
• Program, i?letmelerin ürün, süre? ve teknolojilerini IP haklar? sahipli?i ve ü?üncü taraflar?n IP haklar?n?n kullan?m? a??s?ndan de?erlendirmelerine yard?mc? oluyor.
• Ayr?ca kat?l?mc?lara bireysel ve grup dan??manl???, uzman rehberli?i ve IP varl?klar?n? daha etkin y?netme e?itimi sunuyor.

Pasif Yakla??mdan Aktif IP Savunuculu?una

Program sayesinde ?irket y?netimi,

• IP’nin i?letme üzerindeki stratejik etkilerini daha iyi kavrad?.
• Bu do?rultuda, bir IP hukuk firmas?yla (Bengzon & Untalan) i? birli?i yaparak tüm IP ba?vurular?n? ve mevcut varl?klar?n y?netimini devrald?lar.
• Ayr?ca, IP varl?klar?n?n bir envanterini olu?turdular ve olas? koruma alanlar?n? ke?fetmek i?in patent, endüstriyel tasar?m ve telif haklar? tescillerini tart??maya ba?lad?lar.

Famous Belgian Waffles markas? i?in Filipinler’de “ikincil anlam” tescili yap?ld?; bu, Filipinli mü?terilerin “Famous Belgian Waffles” ifadesini Bel?ika’dan gelen waffle’larla de?il, Innovention Food Resources’?n markas?yla ili?kilendirdi?ini g?steriyor.

WIPO ve Madrid Sistemi ile Küresel Büyüme

Uluslararas? pazarlara a??lma hedefi do?rultusunda, ?irket WIPO’nun Madrid Sistemi’ni ara?t?rmaya ba?lad?. Madrid Sistemi, 131 ülkede ticari markalar?n merkezi ve uygun maliyetli bir ?ekilde tescil edilmesine olanak tan?yor. ?irket, bu sistemle ilk ad?m? atarak,

• Markalar?n? Birle?ik Arap Emirlikleri ve Mo?olistan’da tescil etti.
• ABD’de marka logosu i?in “kullan?m beyan?” ba?vurusu yap?l?rken, di?er ülkeler i?in de potansiyel koruma alanlar? de?erlendiriliyor.
• Küresel geni?leme sürecinde ?e?itli zorluklarla kar??la?an ?irket, Hindistan’da ortaya ??kan bir taklit giri?imine kar?? WIPO’nun y?nlendirmesiyle yasal ad?mlar att?. G?nderilen durdurma mektubu ve yerel hukuki destek sayesinde, taklit i?letmenin markas?n? de?i?tirmesi sa?land?.
• Ayr?ca, markan?n “Bel?ikal? waffle” teriminin co?rafi ve tan?mlay?c? niteli?i nedeniyle baz? ülkelerde “Famous Waffle Sandwich” ad?n? kullanma karar? ald?lar.

IP Korumas?nda Yeni Stratejiler

WIPO’nun ?nerileri do?rultusunda ?irket, ticari s?rlar?n ve gizli bilgilerin y?netimi i?in politikalar?n? gü?lendirdi. ?al??anlarla yap?lan gizlilik s?zle?meleri yeniden düzenlenirken, i? y?netim politikalar? da g?zden ge?irildi.

IP portf?ylerini gü?lendiren bu ad?mlar sayesinde ?irket, franchise de?erini %20 art?rmay? ba?ard?. Bu, proaktif IP y?netimi ile i? ba?ar?s? aras?ndaki gü?lü ba?? a??k?a ortaya koydu.

Innovention Food Resources Inc., WIPO’nun sundu?u f?rsatlar? etkin bir ?ekilde kullanarak Famous Belgian Waffles markas?n? Filipinler’de bir ba?ar? hikayesi haline getirdi ve ?imdi küresel arenada ayn? ba?ar?y? yakalamay? hedefliyor.

Genel Müdür Jackie Dela Cruz’un s?zleriyle,

“Bir kez g?zünüzü a?t?ktan sonra, art?k kapatamazs?n?z. ??letmeler, tescile de?er IP varl?klar?n? yarat?yorlarsa bu yenilikleri dikkatle korumal?d?r.”

Kaynak: