Les Mills International

Client story  \  2 May 2012

With 30 years of experience, Les Mills International is unmatched in the global fitness industry in its ability to optimise group fitness performance in fitness facilities.

Les Mills International creates and licenses a suite of global group fitness programmes, including the original barbell class BODYPUMP®, BODYCOMBAT®, RPM® and new programmes CXWORX® and SH'BAM®. Around 90,000 certified instructors teach the LES MILLS® group fitness programs in more than 14,000 licensed clubs around the world. From its base in Auckland, New Zealand, Les Mills International refreshes each group fitness program every three months with new choreography, licensed music and instructor education.

AJ Park has assisted Les Mills International over the past seven years in making decisions in the selection of their new brands by advising on the availability and risks associated with launching in the marketplace. 'We work with Les Mills International to develop protection strategies for their valuable intellectual property, which not only include brands but also innovative products which they seek to protect through registered designs and patents' says John Hackett, Partner, AJ Park.

AJ Park also work closely with Les Mills International in the coordination of their international brand filing programmes and with the process of registering their brands and their other intellectual property rights. 'We have assisted Les Mills International with brand protection in over 50 countries' says Hackett.  
 
Chantal Brunner, Les Mills International's General Counsel says that 'AJ Park has provided us with invaluable advice around the development and implementation of our international IP strategy - both with respect to our extensive trade mark portfolio and more recently with respect to our innovative new SMARTBAR™ weights equipment, which was launched in March 2012.'

AJ Park's international networks are extensive and this was an aspect we placed a lot of weight on when we chose AJ Park as our intellectual property advisor.

- Chantal Brunner, Les Mills

'Les Mills International is able to utilise our specialist intellectual property knowledge and our ability to call on our international network of intellectual property practitioners. We are there to assist with Les Mills International's intellectual property arrangements with third parties and to coordinate enforcement actions, when required to enforce their intellectual property rights' says Hackett.  
 
With 30 years of experience, Les Mills International is unmatched in the global fitness industry in its ability to optimise group fitness performance in fitness facilities.  Their classes are currently available in 80 countries around the world, with millions of people enjoying a LES MILLS® class every week.

For further information, visit http://www.lesmills.com