Why register a trademark?
A trademark is a sign that is used in trade to identify products. Your trademark is the symbol that distinguishes you from your competitors and that helps your clients to recognise you. It serves multiple important purposes.
A trademark protects your assets. Registering a trademark establishes your legal ownership of your brand and makes it your intellectual property. For example, with registered trademark your products and services are protected from copying by your competitors or any counterfeits.
A trademark also secures your brand in terms of any future legal issues. You can operate freely and can put the ® symbol next to your brand to show that it legally yours. Without a registered trademark, your business is open to legal actions against it from individuals/companies who registered a trademark with the same or similar name/logo.
Trademark is one of the company’s most valuable assets. It increases the value as your business grows. It is an important part of brand recognition and customer acquisition. Moreover, a trademark is an asset that can be bought, sold, licensed, or used to secure a loan (possible in several juriscditions).
Use of the trademark before it is accepted for registration
A trademark may be used at any stage, even before filing the application. However, this use does not guarantee the registration of the trademark.
Difference between trademarks, copyrights, patents, and designs
– Trademark is applied to the product and identifies a certain logo, a phrase or even a color with a particular product or service.
– Copyrights protect original artistic work, such as books, music, paintings, etc.
– Patents protect original inventions. For an invention to be patent protected it has to meet certain requirements.
– Designs specify how products look.
Difference between a product/good and a service
– Product/good is any kind of item that may be traded.
– Service is the provision of activities in accordance with human needs
Registration of business name and logo
You can register your logo with the text but it would be considered as one trademark. It does not protect them separately. If you want to use the logo and the name separately, it is necessary to register two trademarks.
