Manchester-based search engine optimisation company, SEONext, has won a trade mark registration battle against high street giant, Next.
Established in 2009 by brothers Justin and Mark Blackhurst and university friend Vaibhav Kakkar, the team filed a trade mark application for the SEONext brand with the Intellectual Property Office in June 2011.
Next, which has over 500 stores in the UK and employs 58,000 staff across the globe, raised a formal objection in November 2011 to SEONext’s brand name, citing that it encroached on its own intellectual property.For more information about SEONext, visit: www.seonext.co.uk / @SEONext.
Mark Blackhurst, a former corporate lawyer, appointed a leading practice of trade mark and patent attorneys, Wilson Gunn, to challenge the obstruction.
35 year-old co-founder and director, Mark said: “The SEONext moniker has formed the foundations of our success. In just four years, we’ve gone from an initial investment of £4,500 to annual turnover of £1.6million and our brand name is synonymous with high quality SEO services.
David really has beaten Goliath!”
“Our growth plans for 2013 are aggressive and simply wouldn’t facilitate a name change, so we welcome the ruling and look forward to developing the brand further. In this instance, David really has beaten Goliath!”
Tim Rose, registered trade mark attorney at Wilson Gunn, added: “A trademark can be the single most effective marketing tool for a company, so this is a very pleasing result for SEONext. Typically the complainant has 28 days to challenge the decision, but Next has accepted the ruling, which means that Mark and the team can press ahead with their business delivery plans.”
SEONext currently provides search engine optimisation services to over 250 clients in the UK, including a mix of household brand names and SMEs. It has experienced rapid growth to encompass a manual work operation in India and a rapidly growing sales office in Miami. The company relocated its headquarters to Europe’s leading tech-hub, The Sharp Project, East Manchester, in 2012.
For more information about SEONext, visit: www.seonext.co.uk / @SEONext.