Intellectual Coal Tar Soap

Can a Soap have any intellectual assets? I do not mean EastEnders or Coronation Street. Not wishing to wash my hands of the subject there are 9-10 different areas where just looking at my new bar of soap got me thinking…….

The I A of Soap

Or the tale of two rights can make a Wright?    or in this case  Wright’s Coal Tar

Design Rights
What is different about Imperial Leather? I think it is the little paper label in the middle of the soap and the shape!
Wright’s shape is a curve/oval not as defined as Pears but still distinctive. It could be a registered design! Even unregistered no one can stop Wright’s using their shape.
Packaging design could also be registered – Imitation soap looking and smelling the same in similar packaging would be ‘passing itself off’ (even if called light’s soap)

Copyright
‘Soothing ? Cleansing ? Antiseptic’ and all the wordy blurb on the wrapper © 2003

Brand Values
Wrigh’t name has history and resonance. Established since 1860   and proudly called ‘Traditional Soap’
It is distinctive and conjures up feelings of tradition, homeliness and nostalgia
Soothing ? Cleansing ? Antiseptic – not he catchiest strap line but hey if it works!
Wright’s ™ or Wright’s ® asserted as such in the words!
5 011451 101869 > (The unique barcode with IA value shows the product has been processed  for market)

Personal Branding / Endorsement
‘Created by William Valentine Wright in 1860’ The Dick Branson of his time, who also developed a reputation with his recipe for non-alcoholic communion wine!

Secrecy
Ingredients and the %ages are a recipe handed down in secret like Coke. Reverse engineering may be a problem but see passing off above and a well disguised secret ingredient may be valuable. It is no secret that coal tar is no longer allowed by European Union but demonstrates environmental awareness.

Systems & Knowhow
F7362 05:27 ink jet on to the wrapper will tell the manufacturing and QC department how to track and trace the product and is probably code or shorthand for manufacturing place and time.
There is an inner wrapper around the soap and the paper is heavily waxed. This may be the result of experience and QA issues long since resolved. This and other solutions are part of the business (or industry) knowhow.

Legal Issues

With Coal Tar Fragrance – trade descriptions forbid saying ‘with’ coal tar if it is not one of the ingredients.
Made in Turkey – European rules on place of origin.
It’s a Lye as is all soap Sodium Tallowate ( caustic soda or Lye) are key ingredients and others are listed for Health & Safety, COSH etc.
‘As European Union directives on cosmetics have banned the use of coal-tar in non-prescription products, the coal tar derivates have been removed from the formula, replacing them with tea tree oil as main anti-bacterial ingredient.’ Yahoo answers
Successfully sued for trademark infringement in 1949! Wright’s still has the same trademark protection.
Ownership has included London Rubber Company, Smith & Nephew and currently Accantia Health & Beauty Ltd – brands live on whilst companies may not.

Patents

A search has shown no current patents – any original patents would long since have expired
When the formulation was change after the banning of Coal tar their could have been some new and original innovation that was patentable.
Some of the manufacturing/packaging methods may have been original and patentable but like many businesses most of the power is the brand and longevity . The 16 year long patent monopoly is not the be all and end all.

Digital IP

I found no unique web site from inspecting the bar of soap, unusual for a consumer product. Normally there would be IP with any web site
Databases of supplychain, distribution, customers & locations etc are uncheckable from the wrapper but you better believe it is an important source of Intellectual Property. Some suppliers may retain title to parts of intellectual assets only licensing them to Wright’s.