Intellectual property

rights and electronic

publishing
By
Siva Karthika p
MBA(IT)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Name: S.K. Matlani

Country / Territory: India

IP right(s): Trademarks

Date of publication: January 21, 2011

Last update: July 11, 2012

• Background
• On a trip to look for new business opportunities in Malaysia in
1985, Indian bank clerk and fledgling entrepreneur Mr. S.K.
Matlani came across mosquito repellent mats.
• Research and Development
• With a company name and manufacturing facilities in hand, Mr.
Matlani was nearly ready to launch his business. There was
only one thing missing: the actual mosquito repellent formula.
• Commercialization
• Mr. Matlani’s formula proved to be a perfect combination with
the matt manufacturing and know-how he learned in Malaysia,
and in 1986 he started small-scale production of his new
repellent. Early commercialization efforts were small, but
business grew at a quick pace and Mr. Matlani was able to
expand his infrastructure with more employees and moved
production from his home to a new factory.
• IP Management
• Shortly after launching production, Mr. Matlani knew that no
matter how good the technology and formula was, a well known
brand name and image was essential for his venture to
succeed.  Although he could have patented his unique repellent
formula, he decided that the quickest way to establish a strong
market presence was to build an enviable image linking the
customers and company with a trademarked brand name.
• Trademarks
• When thinking of a name for his new product, Mr. Matlani did
not have to go far. Knowing that a trademark had to be easy for
his customers to say and remember, he realized that the “JET”
in his company name already met all of these qualifications.
• IP Valuation
• In 1995, one of India’s largest industrial conglomerates, M/s
Godrej Sara Lee Limited (GSLL), was looking to enter the
domestic mosquito repellent market. After evaluating its options,
GSLL saw the quick pace of JET Mosquito’s growth and the
incredible value that the trademark held. Instead of
• Business Results
• With an initial investment of only US $65,000, Mr. Matlani’s
successful use of trademarks led to a windfall of over US $6
million, which was a massive boost for an SME. Using this
sudden influx of income, in 1997 Mr. Matlani opened the Matlani
Group of Industries (MGI) and that same year started Sonic
Biochem Extractions Ltd. (SBE), an SME that manufactures and
sells non-GMO (genetically modified) soya value added
products.
• The Power of Intangibility
• Mr. Matlani’s successful story of creating a powerful brand
name is an important example of the vast potential held by
intelligent management of a sound IP strategy. The JET
Mosquito trademark ended up delivering JET more value than
the actual product itself had up until the trademark sale, and this
shows that IP rights such as trademarks can be far more
important to a company than many other traditional tangible
assets.