Global Trademark and Intellectual Property Rights Groups

Below is a list of Trademark or Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) organisations active in the global tobacco control debate, specifically regarding plain packaging. These groups, along with Unifab and UNION-IP, have been known to collaborate together in their efforts to lobby against plain packaging legislation, as they did with these joint statements:

• IP Associations’ strong concerns with the Irish Government’s decision to proceed with plain packaging legislation– June 2014
• Reflexion on the adoption of ‘plain packaging’ legislations – March 2014
• Objections to the adoption of ‘plain packaging’ and excessive measures restricting normal use of trademarks – July 2013
• Objection to the adoption of restrictive legislation or policy options frequently referred to as ‘generic’ or ‘plain packaging’ – April 2012

It is worth noting that each of the groups listed here has some kind of connection with the tobacco industry. Tobacco companies are fee-paying members of BMM, CSZV, ICC, MARQUES, and Unifab; ECTA receives indirect industry monies via members that are in-house employees of big tobacco, and Union-IP, ECTA,APRMA, BMM, AND MARQUES are affiliated Sister Associations.For more information, see:

• Association of Trademarks and Designs Rights Practitioners (APRAM)
• Beneluxvereniging voor Merken-en Modellenrecht (BMM)
• Czech Association for Branded Products (CSZV)
• European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA)
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
• MARQUES (European Association of Trademark Owners)