Coca-Cola’s Trademark Process ‘Territorial,’ Former IP Exec Says

Coca-Cola Co. doesn’t need to give permission to its trademark counsel for renewal decisions on trademarks it owned in other countries, a former trademark counsel for the company’s European operations told a U.S. Tax Court judge.

In the third week of a $3.3 billion transfer pricing trial, Danise Lopes, Coca-Cola’s former head of intellectual property, testified March 20 about the company’s intellectual property management process.

Trademarks are territorial in nature, Lopes said. As a result, they’re counted regionally. Lopes said she didn’t report to anyone in the U.S., and the Atlanta headquarters had no say in her decisions.

Coca-Cola is ...