Trademarks As a Macro-economic Tool: An Analysis of the Ethiopia and Colombian Coffee Industry

The global economy today is undergoing a regime shift today, although access to raw materials, cheap labour, energy sources and robust markets remain important components of competitive advantage, globalization and commoditization of production inputs coupled with their price volatility has shifted the long-term competitive advantage towards those that know how to innovate through new combinations. Intangible assets are being recognised for its economic viability and potential. While major emphasis has been on the use of Patents, Copyrights and Trade Secrets to derive economic benefits and competitive edge in the global market, the potential of Trademarks as an efficient tool to prosper economic growth has been limited to the micro-economic sphere. This paper argues that trademarks have an impact on the macro-economic impact, which needs to be explored. This paper analyses the use of Trademarks for the revival of Coffee industries in Ethiopia and Colombia and argues that a strong marketing strategy which builds upon the value transference of other IP assets has the ability to ensure macro-economic growth and help in revival and growth of many key industries. This paper has been divided into two parts, the first part showcases how distinctiveness can be created and how a trademark should be selected, the second part, illustrates how trademark driven strategies have allowed Ethiopia and Colombia to revive and grow their coffee industry, and finally the study proposes the use of similar strategies to revive Indian Industries.