Trade marks are those words, phrases or graphics that are associated with one company only and that has been registered by the specific company as their ‘own’. The specific name or graphic is thus protected from other people using it – it is trade marked. People often feel discouraged by all the administration involved, such as doing an extensive trade mark search, but it does not have to be a headache. Here are a few tips for making the registration of trade marks easy.
Think Ahead
When the time arrives for you to decide on a name that will be your trade mark, make sure it won’t be exclusive of services you might want to deliver some time in the future. For example, if you want to call your business ‘Fred’s Fridges’, you might want to consider whether you won’t want to sell other appliances or deliver different services in the future. This is just something to keep in mind to avoid unnecessary and discouraging paperwork in the future.
Do Your Homework
In order to assure that all paper work is sorted out without any hiccups, make sure that the name you have chosen is not similar to a name that has already been trade marked. The Internet is the ideal tool to find out whether your chosen name is already in use and registered. The various countries also have websites listing all trade names. Find out more about such helpful websites in your country.
In order to register your trade mark, you can download the relevant forms from the Internet or ask the help of an IP professional. Make sure that when you apply, you elaborate and write clearly on all details, such as why you think the name is appropriate, what you mean by the slogan or graphics, etc. You need to sell the idea. Here the help of a professional will be very helpful.
Be Patient
You need to be patient while waiting to hear whether your trade mark has been accepted. It has to be checked that your application and trade mark name fulfils all the requirements stipulated by the relevant Trade Marks Act. There might also be many applicants, which makes it even more difficult to work through all application forms.
Once your trade mark is accepted, it is published in an official trade mark journal. Three months are then allowed for anyone to oppose the registration of your trade mark, should they have a good reason to do so. If there are no complaints, your trade mark will be registered the moment you pay the relevant fees!