A trademark is a visual symbol which may be a word, name, device, label or numeral used by a business to distinguish its goods or services from other similar products or services in the market owned by other businesses. A trademark is an asset that can be protected under the Indian law. To protect a trademark from being copied by others, the inventor of the word or symbol must apply for trademark registration.
Registering a trademark provides legal protection against misuse of any kind including infringement or copy of a company’s name or logo, which is often a company’s most valuable asset.
It grants the trademark owner exclusive nationwide ownership of the mark which can be legally upheld in the courts of law in any part of the country.
Registering a trademark grants the trademark owner the right to make the mark exclusive and incontestable and use it in a variety of mediums.
This will be immensely useful to prove the validity of the mark and the registrants ownership incase of any infringement by a third party.
Products/ services are identified by their logo which helps create brand value over time. A strong brand is a huge pull for new customers and an anchor for existing customers.
Registering a trademark early and using it will create goodwill and generate more business for the brand owner.
A registered trademark is an intangible asset for a company as it helps generate more business and helps attract and retain customers by account of brand recognition.
It also grants the business legal right to use a logo exclusively for 10 years with the choice to re-register.
The process of trademark begins with a trademark search. We can help you conduct a trademark search using the tool below to find marks across classes. The government trademark search tool can also be used to find identical or similar trademarks under the same class. Once the search is complete, you will proceed with the trademark application based on the details of identical or similar trademark applications already filed with the government.
Once the trademark registration application is filed with the trademark registrar, a trademark application allotment number is provided within one or two working days. The application can then be tracked online through the online trademark search facility. On obtaining the allotment number, the owner of the trademark can affix the TM symbol next to the logo.
The Vienna codification established by the Vienna agreement (1973) is an international classification of the figurative elements of marks. Once the application is filed, the trademark registrar will apply the Vienna classification to the trademark based on the figurative elements of marks. While this work is in progress, the trademark application status usually reflects as "sent for Vienna codification".
Once the Vienna codification is complete, the trademark registration application will be allotted to an officer in the trademark registrar office. The trademark officer would then review the trademark application for correctness and issue a trademark examination report. The officer will either accept the application and allow for journal publication or object the same.
If the trademark registration application is objected by the Trademark Officer, the trademark applicant has the right to appear before the officer and address the objections. If the officer is satisfied with the justifications of the trademark applicant, the trademark would be allowed for trademark journal publication. In case the officer is not satisfied with the justifications, the trademark applicant has the right to appeal the decision of the Trademark officer before the Intellectual Property Appellate Board.
Once the trademark registration application is accepted by the registrar, the proposed mark is published in the trademark journal. The trademark journal is published weekly and contains all the trademarks that have been accepted by the registrar. Once it is published, the public have an opportunity to object to a particular registration, if they believe their business will be damaged by that registration. If there are no objections filed within 90 days of that publication, the mark will typically be registered within 12 weeks’ time.
If the trademark registration application is opposed by a third-party, a hearing will be called for by the trademark hearing officer. Both the applicant and the opposing party have the chance to appear at the hearing and provide justifications for registration or rejection of the trademark application. Based on the hearings and the evidence presented, the hearing officer will determine if the application should be accepted or rejected. The decision of the hearing officer can also be challenged by escalating it to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board.
If there are no objections or oppositions to the application, the trademark manuscript and trademark registration certificate will be prepared. Once the trademark registration certificate is issued, the mark is considered to be a registered trademark of the owner, granting the owner exclusive use of the mark. The symbol can now be placed next to the logo.
There are a certain set of documents that need to be signed, scanned and sent to us. The list is given below.