Trademarks Past and Present

The use of trademarks dates back thousands of years. The first marks - the branding of livestock depicted in Stone Age cave paintings - identified personal property to prevent theft. Egyptian masonry from some six thousand years ago shows quarry marks and stonecutters signs, which named the source of the stone and the laborer who carried out the work. The practice of marking goods with a graphic design to certify its origin and quality spread throughout the ancient world as the scale of commerce increased and goods became more sophisticated. Some of the marks used by trade guilds in the middle ages - such as the hallmark for gold purity - are still in use today although the guilds no longer exist.

Over the years these marks evolved into today's system of trademark registration and protection. The earliest trademark legislation was the Bakers' Marking Law, obliging every baker to put his mark on the bread he baked, enacted by the British Parliament in 1266. Merchants' marks - personal marks used from the 13th to 16th century -could be considered the predecessors of modern trademarks in that they bore names of traders and served as a guarantee that the goods sold were of the expected quality.

The two items below, written by Mr. Patrick J. Gallagher of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P (Minneapolis, Minnesota) for the International Trademark Association (INTA) Bulletin, trace the story behind two successful modern trademarks: Swedish furniture retailer, IKEA, and Australian swimwear, SPEEDO.

IKEA

From a very early age, Ingvar Kamprad showed great promise as an entrepreneur. He began selling matches to neighbors from his bicycle in his southern Swedish village. After successfully completing his studies at 17, his father gave Kamprad a gift that he used to establish a business selling pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewelry and nylon stockings. He named his company "IKEA" - IK for the initials of his first and last names, E for Elmtaryd, the farm where he grew up, and A for Agunnaryd, the village where he grew up.

In 1947, IKEA began selling furniture manufactured locally from the forests close to his home. Swedish consumers responded positively to the furniture, and in 1951 IKEA published its first furniture catalog. Soon after, Kamprad made the decision to discontinue the sale of all other products.

In 1953, IKEA opened its first showroom in Älmhult...