Trademarking Store Layouts In India

Introduction

Store layouts play an increasingly important role in brand recognition and brand recall. Take a world-renowned brand like Apple, for instance. How does every Apple store that we walk into feel the same all over the world? While there is certainly a tingling excitement that the purchase of shiny new gadgets brings, there is a more subtle factor at play: the store layout. Apple stores maintain a certain consistency across locations, which forms an integral part of their brand. Apple store layouts tend to comprise flat tables, with white shelves and decor, glass walls, and so on. These distinctive features make us instantly recognise that it is a store that sells Apple products, and not any other kind of store. This story of Apple stores is important because it highlights the different ways in which intellectual property can be used innovatively (!) in this era for building brand value and goodwill. Gone are the days when the companies simply affixed