Burger King in Adelaide, which first registered the brand in Australia

World famous companies sometimes need to use brands other than their chain stores and original products to operate in foreign countries. This is the case with brands such as Burger King and Heartbrand, in the food sector, in addition to many others in several segments.

Burger King

The fast food chain Burger King emerged in the 1950s in the United States. When they decided to expand their reach to Oceania and enter into the fast food market in Australia in early 1970s, the company discovered that the name had already been registered by a cafeteria in the city of Adelaide, located in the south of the country. 

To operate on Australian soil, Burger King registered the Hungry Jack’s brand in 1971. According to the restaurant chair’s official website, “in 1991 the Burger King Corporation opened its doors in New South Wales (abbreviated as NSW), a state on the east coast of Australia, under the Burger King trademark. Three confusing years later everyone agreed that the power of a single Aussie brand and the 30 year heritage of the Hungry Jack’s trademark was the best solution”. 

The brand Hungry Jack’s is a successful example of a change made by a famous company (Burger King) to enter in a foreign market. Hungry Jack’s turned 49 in 2020 and has hundreds of stores spread across Australia.

Heartbrand

As a matter of marketing strategy, the Heartbrand has a different name in every country because the brand acquired companies already established in those nations and decide to not change the name of those previous companies. 

The ice cream brand, owned by the multinational Unilever, is called Kibon in Brazil and Argentina. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Pakistan, India and Indonesia, for example, the brand is called Wall’s. In the USA, Good Humor; in Belgium and Portugal, Ola; and, in Greece, Algida. 

As we can see, the Heartbrand logo undergoes small changes in the colors and fonts of the letters, depending on the country in which it operates, but preserves its visual identity in the same way. 

Pereira Bertozzi

So that your brand does not run the same risk as Burger King of not getting the rights of its own brand in another country, look for Pereira Bertozzi Intellectual Property Office. We have extensive experience in registering trademarks and patents around the world. If you also intend to protect your brand property in Brazil, contact us.