The COVID pandemic has already impacted everyone in unfathomable ways and the threat on our health and the world economy remains until a vaccine is finally found.

Pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop vaccines and inventors are coming up with new products or modifications that solve the present inadequacies in fighting the virus. While innovation is alive, as the scientific community is working hard to find solutions to end the pandemic and manage the crisis at hand the serious tension between patent protection/protection of proprietary assets and the primacy of public health ensues.

During lockdowns, only those classified as essential business are allowed to operate, forcing others to close down temporarily or permanently (depending on the balance sheet strength of the company) or lay off employees with tourism and retail industries being the worst hit. Consumer behavior is shifting, and businesses are trying to adapt to survive. A significant percentage of the population are recalibrating their spending, focusing on saving money, only buying essential goods and favoring brands with high recognition over others. As policies on social distancing are being adopted worldwide and are poised to become the new normal, people are turning to digital transactions for safety and convenience. Digital presence and brand strength are proving their worth now more than ever. Companies right now need to focus on survival, thus migrating to e-commerce and protection of proprietary data and intellectual property rights are paramount. Brands signify quality. Trademark creates immediate value, protects brands and gives businesses geographic advantage.