TMAE Summit 2026House of Marks: Keeping Your Brand Strategy from Collapsing
Alt Legal Team | October 25, 2026
At the TMAE Summit on October 19-21, 2026, Debra Duguid of Tao Group and Mar Deniz of Noli IP (formerly of TikTok and Amazon) presented the session, “House of Marks: Keeping Your Brand Strategy from Collapsing.” Learn about additional sessions here. Here are some key takeaways from the session:
1. Build a strong foundation for trademark families. Understanding the differences between house marks, series marks, and brand families is essential for developing an effective trademark protection strategy. Identify shared, distinctive elements early and establish consistent branding practices to strengthen protection across the portfolio.
2. Document trademark use and consumer recognition. Maintaining organized records of advertising, sales, website activity, licensing agreements, and consumer recognition is critical to establishing and protecting a family of marks. Evidence should be collected continuously, rather than waiting until a dispute arises.
3. Understand the advantages and limitations of family mark protection. A recognized family of marks can provide broader protection against confusingly similar trademarks, but registration alone isn’t enough. Trademark owners must demonstrate that consumers associate the shared element with a common source.
4. Take a proactive approach to monitoring and enforcement. Conduct regular trademark searches, monitor third-party use, and assess potential conflicts across the entire family of marks. Prioritize enforcement efforts based on risk and business impact, recognizing that not every infringement requires litigation.
5. Use portfolio management tools to identify gaps and strengthen protection. Creating a trademark family matrix can help administrators track registrations, goods and services, and channels of use across related marks. Regular portfolio audits and systematic likelihood-of-confusion assessments help identify vulnerabilities before they become problems.
6. Protect trademark families during mergers, acquisitions, and technology transitions. Thorough due diligence, accurate ownership records, and careful data migration are essential to preserving trademark rights. When transitioning docketing systems, validate portfolio data, verify critical deadlines, and maintain consistent documentation to avoid gaps in protection.
Speakers
Debra Duguid
, Director, Legal & Business Affairs, Tao Group Hospitality
Debra Duguid is the Director of Legal and Business Affairs at Tao Group Hospitality, where she manages the company’s global trademark portfolio. With more than two decades of trademark experience spanning law firms and in-house roles, Debra has led trademark clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and portfolio management efforts for globally recognized brands, including Madison Square Garden and Scripps. Known for her practical approach to trademark strategy and brand protection, she brings extensive experience managing complex domestic and international portfolios across a wide range of industries.
Mar Deniz
, Legal Intern, Noli IP Solutions
Mar Deniz is a CITMA UK-certified Trademark Paralegal, Spanish Attorney, and California Provisionally Licensed Lawyer. Above all, she’s a long-time trademark passionate. Her experience has focused on enforcement, both on the law firm side and reviewing Notice and Takedown requests at major technology companies. From her first IP job in mainland China to her current volunteering roles, she’s sure to bring creativity into IP problem-solving.