Interbrand

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Relating to or involving different manufacturers' brands sold together or in rivalry ; the connection between separate companies' trademarks when their products are combined or compared
2. Describing the competition or cooperation among distinct brands that serve the same market ; the link formed when independent companies' trademarks are paired on a product
3. Concerning relationships among separate, rival trademarks in commerce ; a partnership or joint offering between unrelated companies' well-known product names

Etymology: "Interbrand" is a plain compound, built from the prefix "inter-", meaning "between" or "among", and "brand". The sense is comparative: an interbrand competition or interbrand agreement is one that takes place between different brands, as opposed to within a single brand's own product line. The contrast is what gives the term its use. Economists and lawyers distinguish interbrand competition, where rival manufacturers compete against each other, from intrabrand competition, where distributors of one brand compete with one another. The prefix does the work of marking the relationship between separate trademarks rather than describing any single one.