The Plasterers ForumⓇ Is now a Registered Trademark

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The Plasterers Forumis now a Registered Trademark :)

So for the last 12 or so months I have been battling the intellectual property office (IPO) to try and register the trademark "The Plasterers Forum".... with any trademark it cannot be descriptive so for example you cannot trademark the "The Coffee Shop" because it is a shop that sells coffee and so registering "The Plasterers Forum" was always going to be a challenge...

I have had to go to extreme lengths to prove that "The Plasterers Forum" is an authority and I mean very in depth proof, I have had to get letters from the likes of BG Knauf Mapei and a number of other big players in the industry to get it.

It was rejected 3 or 4 times by the IPO and I had to really start pulling out the big guns. I hired a company that was charging £175 per hour +VAT and they got to work and built a case for us and submitted the application on appeal to the IPO. We used case law to carve a precedent and finally in december the IPO granted us the trademark "The Plasterers Forum".

However that was not the end.... there is a 2 month wait where it gets published and you have to wait for someone to object it... if someone objects it and then it has to go and wait for a further 3 months... and then that would be another massive cost ....So you can understand why I have kept it a secret and made companies that have helped basically keep shtum about it.

Well the 2 month deadline was up then there was a 14 days wait to make sure no objections are in the post etc and well that ended tonight... I have been on the edge of my seat for the last few weeks.....

So what does this mean for TPF?

It means that nobody can use "The Plasterers Forum" or anything similiar without my permission at least I have a strong case against anybody that tries it. In fact anybody individual that uses it without my approval is going to be risking a legal pursuit by my lawyers.

There are numerous sites out there that have been deliberately passing off as TPF or at least trying to and that will if all goes well will be stopped.

Why Have I done it?

We have got to the size and scale where people are trying to piggy back the forum and I have now invested a lot of time and money into the site and if I did not register it there was the risk of someone else trying to do it and that could mean the end of TPF... Other people were trtying to get legal on us and it was becoming a problem!

Getting the trademark is a massive milestone and is the first major step in a long process of steps but fingers crossed it will be stepping in the right direction :)

So thats the news...lol may not seem much but its a milestone :)

I am off for a beer :)
 
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Well done Danny :RpS_thumbup: I don't think I am alone in saying you can be very proud of what you have achieved and will achieve!!!
Congratulations :RpS_thumbsup:
 
AHHHHHH sheite so dose that mean the vinyl sticker i got my mate to print for me van could now see me in court :RpS_crying: :RpS_wink: :RpS_laugh:

Congrats
 
AHHHHHH sheite so dose that mean the vinyl sticker i got my mate to print for me van could now see me in court :RpS_crying: :RpS_wink: :RpS_laugh:

Congrats

writing TPF in the dirt on your van with your finger doesnt count :rolleyes)
 
A plasterer with a brain !good on you let the forum grow its helped myself and many others !reap what you sow ! Thankyou danny!
 
good on ya danny,, hard work but then nothing in life that is worth fighting for comes easy, :RpS_thumbsup:
 
Well done big stepping stone! Can anyone tell me what Rps is tho see it a lot on here ? bit out of date in the txt initial game and such like
 
Well done big stepping stone! Can anyone tell me what Rps is tho see it a lot on here ? bit out of date in the txt initial game and such like

It's code for the smileys mate
they look like this :RpS_thumbup : :RpS_thunmbup:
 
The Plasterers Forumis now a Registered Trademark :)

So for the last 12 or so months I have been battling the intellectual property office (IPO) to try and register the trademark "The Plasterers Forum".... with any trademark it cannot be descriptive so for example you cannot trademark the "The Coffee Shop" because it is a shop that sells coffee and so registering "The Plasterers Forum" was always going to be a challenge...

I have had to go to extreme lengths to prove that "The Plasterers Forum" is an authority and I mean very in depth proof, I have had to get letters from the likes of BG Knauf Mapei and a number of other big players in the industry to get it.

It was rejected 3 or 4 times by the IPO and I had to really start pulling out the big guns. I hired a company that was charging £175 per hour +VAT and they got to work and built a case for us and submitted the application on appeal to the IPO. We used case law to carve a precedent and finally in december the IPO granted us the trademark "The Plasterers Forum".

However that was not the end.... there is a 2 month wait where it gets published and you have to wait for someone to object it... if someone objects it and then it has to go and wait for a further 3 months... and then that would be another massive cost ....So you can understand why I have kept it a secret and made companies that have helped basically keep shtum about it.

Well the 2 month deadline was up then there was a 14 days wait to make sure no objections are in the post etc and well that ended tonight... I have been on the edge of my seat for the last few weeks.....

So what does this mean for TPF?

It means that nobody can use "The Plasterers Forum" or anything similiar without my permission at least I have a strong case against anybody that tries it. In fact anybody individual that uses it without my approval is going to be risking a legal pursuit by my lawyers.

There are numerous sites out there that have been deliberately passing off as TPF or at least trying to and that will if all goes well will be stopped.

Why Have I done it?

We have got to the size and scale where people are trying to piggy back the forum and I have now invested a lot of time and money into the site and if I did not register it there was the risk of someone else trying to do it and that could mean the end of TPF... Other people were trtying to get legal on us and it was becoming a problem!

Getting the trademark is a massive milestone and is the first major step in a long process of steps but fingers crossed it will be stepping in the right direction :)

So thats the news...lol may not seem much but its a milestone :)

I am off for a beer :)
Well done dan:RpS_thumbup:
its been goin a long time now... how did it all start? Who was the first member? First thread, post?.....first argument/fight?...lol

apart from yourself.:rolleyes)
 
Thanks for all the comments :) Yep its a big milestone but one that was needed to protect the site and its growth.

There has been sites passing off as us or at least piggy backing us and that is why we have had to step in and take this... it is like having a plastering company in Bristol called XYZ plastering doing bad work and your company happens to be called xyz plastering as well and you are getting bad reputation... thats what we are stopping.

Nothing on the forum will change :D Well other than the ® :)

Its why we have stopped sending out merchandise recently and been holding off the launch of van stickers and also mugs pint glasses and T shirts :)
 
Well done dan:RpS_thumbup:
its been goin a long time now... how did it all start? Who was the first member? First thread, post?.....first argument/fight?...lol

apart from yourself.:rolleyes)

Yep it started in 2006 and there were a few local plasterers to me on it :) The first argument was on pricing... i think I was accused of ripping someone off...lol

2007 was when it really started though... and 2008 was when it started getting busy but 2010 was when we switched to the .com and changed software and thats when it started getting very busy and not really stopped since then...

We have lots of things on the cards and this is very much the first major step....

Also from the feedback from ecobuild and companies lots and lots of people are watching and taking notice....
 
Lol ....who was the first post/thread? You may not remember? Some of the longer standing members may know?Has it always been the same mods?...flynny..warrior?
Wish i was here from the start:RpS_mad:
 
There have been a couple of mods but flynny warrior i think are the longest running ones :)

I would have to look back and see what was the earliest post :) I had to build a whole case for the IPO :) But it was not all about what happened on our site it was about what was said off site...lol You would not believe some of the information I had to go out and find :)

Some of the other cases we looked into were very interesting though.... but it is very rare/difficult to register a descriptive trademark.
 
There have been a couple of mods but flynny warrior i think are the longest running ones :)

I would have to look back and see what was the earliest post :) I had to build a whole case for the IPO :) But it was not all about what happened on our site it was about what was said off site...lol You would not believe some of the information I had to go out and find :)

Some of the other cases we looked into were very interesting though.... but it is very rare/difficult to register a descriptive trademark.

Congratulations Danny! :)

I know its been an uphill struggle getting the '®' - but well worth it, and the right decision!

TPF is a very powerful platform - as one case study its helped the Speedskim brand massively! Its put us directly in touch with BG who now use our equipment, many colleges and training centres have come through to us from the Forum, and of course the members who we listen to for their valued product feedback.

Not to mention the work that it finds members and sharing of technical hints and tips.

Well done mate and thanks - the TPF trademark is well deserved! :)
 
Well done dan:RpS_thumbup:
its been goin a long time now... how did it all start? Who was the first member? First thread, post?.....first argument/fight?...lol

apart from yourself.:rolleyes)

ffs. that's like asking your history teacher why the great way started and how it was won, just so you didn't have to do any work all lesson
 
Aye its good 4 the trade m8 well done and its also taught me how 2 work the internet lol still 2 learn how 2put pics n stuff on but aye am getin better
 
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