Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Most companies, like our own, often take the personality behind the company and turn it into the trademark name. There's definitely a positive with this as the person and company are always heavily associated with each other and can accumulate a good amount of press. However, in this day and age of sell-offs and acquisitions, it can also mean that you can lose your "identity" when you no longer have rights to your own name.

Michael Lechter from Inc. Magazine's blog wrote a really great post on this very topic when he recently covered the story of Joseph Abboud. It reminds us all that anyone can lose the benefit of their reputation: Sorry, but Your Name is Mine--How Joseph Abboud Lost His Name.