Library Service Brand and Mark: General and Special

The problem of forming the library image as an active social marketing tool in the context of globalization of the information space is becoming more urgent and relevant and requires new approaches, both in the theoretical and practical spheres of the library sector. In modern realities, libraries realize the importance of their own image as a socio-cultural phenomenon, echoing such a complex and multifaceted concept of “brand”. In the library space, the brand is used as a tool for updating the image and developing social marketing.

The purpose of the article is to determine the features of the service mark as a key element of the library brand and the mechanisms of its civil-legal protection. The issues related to the use of the service mark as one of the elements of the library brand represent the scientific novelty and, in particular, specify the rules of its registration. The author notes that the term in question does not have a legal status, but it can be considered in relation to the institution of civil law close to it — means of individualization — a service mark (trademark). The article discusses the procedure for registering the service mark, as well as determines the stages of the libraryʼs brand policy.

Despite the fact that the term “brand” has become widespread in scientific, professional and everyday life, it does not have a legal status, i. e. there is no legal definition in the legislation of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the necessary legal procedure aimed at the legal protection of the library brand as an element of the library branding system is the registration of a service mark — the designation that serves to individualize the work performed or services provided. Basing on the analysis of jurisprudence practice, the article determines the possibility of preferential use of the term “service mark” in the designation of library and information products and services.

The analysis of registered service marks (trademarks) of libraries, relevant as of June 2021, demonstrates the awareness by libraries of the importance of their own brand. However, the professional library community is far from always aware of the advantages of using the service mark, which leads to the expiration of the exclusive right to it without its extension in the manner prescribed by law. Registration of the service mark contributes to strengthening the status of the library as an active marketing component of the information market and the formation of reputation capital. It can be considered as a specific incentive for the development of library branding.

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