ARCHIVE:

PERCEPTION PARTNERS SPONSORS FIRST ANNUAL CORPORATE IP INSTITUTE
Published October, 2007

PERCEPTION PARTNERS ANNOUNCES 2007 SPEAKING SCHEDULE
Published January, 2007

PERCEPTION PARTNERS PREDICTS PIVOTAL VERDICT 
IN KINETIC CONCEPTS VS. BLUESKY
Published August, 2006

PERCEPTION PARTNERS FOUNDER DISCUSSES BRAND LICENSING
Published May, 2006

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SURVIVES HURRICANE KATRINA
Published September, 2005


PERCEPTION PARTNERS DONATES SERVICES ON WORLD IP DAY 2005
Published April, 2005

KEEPING TABS ON COKE
Published January, 2005

CUSTODIAN OF WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE IP PORTFOLIO JOINS PERCEPTION PARTNERS
Published October, 2004

GOOGLE - IP IS MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS OF IPO
Published May, 2004

IS YOUR BUSINESS METHOD PATENT PENDING?
Published January, 2004

Keeping Tabs on Coke
Published in IP Law and Business, January, 2005

For over 20 years, Coke was it for Edward Carreras. As chief intellectual property counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, Carreras was the custodian of the world's most valuable brand. Carreras took an early retirement from Coke in October 2003 at age 52. Now he is back in the IP business. In October 2004 Carreras joined Perception Partners, an Atlanta-based IP consulting company that develops IP strategies to assist clients in identifying, licensing, and marketing new products. Carreras says the company's clients are mainly Atlanta-based public companies, including some Fortune 100 companies which he wouldn't name. IP Law & Business reporter Alexandra Dell talked to him recently about his tenure at Coke.

Alexandra Dell: Why did you leave Coke?

Edward Carreras: Coca-Cola had gone to a decentralized approach dealing with their trademarks, meaning that rather than have a central trademark department that handles trademarks worldwide, now they are handled by lots of different lawyers in different geographic areas. That raised a lot of challenges. So I took an early retirement and decided to take some time off. [Carreras's old position at Coke has been eliminated.] My wife then decided that I ought to get out and start working again. She didn't want me hanging around too long.

A.D.: What was your job like at Coke?

E.C.: I was the chief intellectual property counsel, so I had the patent department and the trademark department reporting to me. I was given the responsibility of the trademark department in order to try and do a little bit of process improvement. I also tried to bring a little bit of fiscal discipline on the budget, which meant cutting costs and deciding which trademarks to renew and which to let go. Trademark fees may be a few hundred dollars in one country, but if there are three versions in 150 countries, that adds up. And it was quite challenging because of the sheer magnitude. But we were able to do some cost cutting and streamlining while I was managing that department.

A.D.: How do you think Coke prepared you for your new position at Perception Partners?

E.C.: One of the things that I did at the Coca-Cola Company was always ask people, What is the objective? And the objective was to sell more Coke. In dealing with trademarks or with patents I would ask, "How does this help us sell more Coke?" So now, dealing with clients in sort of a general setting, I focus on the business objective of the client. For example, if we talk to a client about trademark licensing, one of the issues raised is what are the objectives behind doing a trademark licensing program. Is it just to make money, to expand their product base, or to use it as a marketing tool? The scope of the program depends on the answer.

A.D.: While you were at Coke, did you make any big changes in the company's trademark enforcement strategy?

E.C.: We tried to be more assertive. There was a little bit of a reluctance to engage in litigation. My view is that in order to really protect intellectual property via trademarks or patents, you need to enforce them. Not enforcing them is basically giving up on them. My attitude was one of more strict enforcement. So we engaged in a number of litigations while I was there. Before I became the chief IP counsel, the company would have been reluctant to do that. For example, we brought a suit against Pepsi for infringing the patent of our dispensing equipment known as bag-and-box. When Coke sells syrup, it sells it in a cardboard box that has a bag in it with a device that enables the syrup in the bag to be fully emptied. Then the device helps mix the syrup with carbonated water. The suit is still going on.

I think the most important asset of the company is its trademark. It's something that needs to be protected from a strategic vantage point and not just looked at as a sideline to their main business. It is their business.

A.D.: Any words of wisdom for your successors at Coke?

E.C.: I have lots of words of wisdom. The one thing I would say is that they are dealing with an extremely valuable asset that's also somewhat fragile. The perception people have of the trademark can be impaired if there is no quality control or [if there is] bad publicity for the company. Anything you can do to protect it is important.

A.D.: Do you drink Coke?

E.C.: Absolutely. My father worked for The Coca-Cola Company for 38 years. I worked for Coke for 20 years. If [restaurants] don't serve Coke, I don't drink their soft drinks.

A.D.: Any plans to keep the tradition at Coke going to the next generation?

# # #