Trademark families: characteristics and market values

Research shows that financial markets value trademarks. Often, a firm’s trademarks can be decomposed into groups of related trademarks (trademark families). This study identifies different types of trademark families and analyzes their respective effects on the market values of large, publicly listed firms. The results show that financial markets value only those trademarks that develop existing brands, while they do not value the creation of new trademarks. The implications of the results for corporate intellectual property and brand management are discussed.