We represent our members’ interests before regulatory bodies and in court proceedings as Amicus Curiae.
We educate and provide professional development opportunities for our members through workshops, seminars, webinars and the Annual Conference, at which our Members and other guests can learn, share their knowledge and expertise and network among peers and regulators.

We convene a number of Teams, Task Forces and Committees each one focussed on an area of particular interest to brand owners and are the core of our work in representing brand owners’ interests.

The Trusted Voice for Brand Owners and A Respected Voice by Regulators
The membership of MARQUES comes from over 80 countries and represents more than two million trademarks owned by the Corporate Members.

MARQUES is accredited before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) - formerly the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market; has observer status at the EUIPO Administrative Board and Budget Committee; is an official non-governmental observer at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO); and is a registered interest representative organisation in the Transparency Register of the European Parliament and the European Commission.

MARQUES has a long History of Supporting Brand Owners
MARQUES was established in 1986 by a group of Brand owners who considered that they were not being adequately represented in Europe.

They formed a steering committee and engaged counsel in the United Kingdom to form a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.

In 1986 the first 6 member companies; Beecham (UK), Lego (Denmark), Mars Inc. (UK), Morgan Crucible (UK), Rolls Royce Motor Cars (UK) and Volvo (Sweden) committed funds to ensure the successful launch and establishment of MARQUES, which immediately captured the industry’s attention with the inaugural conference convened in Vienna that same year.

The annual MARQUES conference, held in September each year, has since gained a reputation for being the high value conference of choice for Brand owners and experts who recognise the high calibre of speakers, the single minded focus on pertinent issues and the ability to network with peers and regulators.

Governance
MARQUES is a well run and well organised association, providing a solid foundation upon which to represent Brand owners and earn the respect of regulators and other organisations.

Strong governance is an important part of this.

It starts with the Council, averaging around 28 councillors at any one time. The Council is the equivalent of the Board of MARQUES.

In order to reflect the emphasis on brand owners interests, membership of Council is predominately Corporate Members - the Brand owners. Expert members can also sit on Council. MARQUES also strives for the broadest possible geographic representation on Council. This balanced approach to the composition of Council ensures MARQUES truly represents the broadest possible spectrum of brand interests.

An Executive Team of the Council is responsible for the day to day management of MARQUES including its financial affairs. The Chairperson, two vice chairs, immediate past Chair and Treasurer are elected by the Council members from among the Corporate membership.

The Council and Executive Team are also assisted by a Secretariat, Internal Relations Officer and External Relations Officer.  Then there are the Teams, Task Forces and Committees on which the Members sit and which provide the substance to the MARQUES Mission.

The Teams
The Teams are at the core of MARQUES ability to be the trusted voice for Trade Mark owners. Membership of the Teams is made up of hardworking and dedicated members with a particular interest and/or expertise in the subject matter of the Team.

There is a Team for every on-going and current issue facing Trade Mark owners. Teams are formed or disbanded from time to time based on the needs of Trademark owners. From time to time MARQUES also convenes Task Forces to address particular matters of immediacy and which require cross Team expertise. Committees are also established from time to time of selected members to advise MARQUES in their particular fields of expertise.

The current Teams are:
Amicus Curiae
Anti-Counterfeiting and Parallel Trade
Anti-Fraud Task Force
Brands and Marketing
China
Copyright
Cyberspace
Designs
Dispute Resolution
European Trade Mark Law & Practice
Famous and Well-known Brands
Geographical Indications
Intellectual Asset Management
International Trade Mark Law & Practice
IP Emerging Issues
Regulatory
Unfair Competition

In addition there are three internal teams responsible for member’s needs. The Programming and the Education Teams are responsible for the Annual Conference and other meetings, seminars, webinars and workshops as well as the Judges Meetings. The Communications and Membership Team is responsible for the MARQUES website, the monthly newsletter, HouseMARQUES, as well as social media, including Twitter, Facebook and the LinkedIn group, as well as two blogs – Class 46 for trademarks and Class 99 for Designs which provide real time and up to date news feeds. In addition the team oversees the Membership database and takes care of membership matters.

As a member of MARQUES you receive the benefit of this support and expertise in representing your Brand.
Team members represent MARQUES in influencing and attending meetings with regulators and other organisations as well as speaking at conferences and publishing works in the MARQUES publications and elsewhere.

To get a better idea of what the Teams are working on you can review their Achievements by clicking here and on each Team’s home page on the website.

If you wish to join a Team please see the procedures on the website

Ready to Join MARQUES

Thank you for visiting us and for taking the time to learn about MARQUES. Please continue to explore our website to understand more of what MARQUES does. We hope that you like what you find and will want to join us in promoting and protecting intellectual property, and help secure the currency of the modern knowledge economy.
We look forward to you joining our organisation. If you have any questions and wish to speak to one of our Membership Team please direct these to the Secretariat info@marques.org or the Internal Relations Office, Ingrid de Groot at ingrid.de.groot@marques.org