Trademark Registration

A trademark can be defined as the unique identity that makes your company, product, or service stand out from the rest. A registered trademark is your business’s intellectual property/ intangible asset. It protects the investment made into creating trust and loyalty among your customers.

What Can You Register As a Trademark?

Many aspects of your brand image can be registered as a trademark. The aspect you need to consider is which aspect of your brand stands out to your customers. Pick that aspect(s) for registering.

1. Name
– Product Name: You can register a particular product’s name as a trademark. Apple’s iPod is a product name trademark.
– Business Name: Registering a company name as a trademark is the most common route businesses take. Ex: Bajaj.
– Person’s Name/Surname: If your name plays an important part in generating revenue, then you can even trademark your name! Ex: Shah Rukh Khan has trademarked his name.

– Abbreviations: Abbreviations of a company or brand name can also be a trademark. Ex: BMW.
2. Logo/Symbol
It is highly recommended to trademark a logo because it visually represents your brand. Your customers can recollect a logo faster than a name. A great example of a logo trademark is the ‘swoosh’ of Nike.

3. Tagline
If you have a tagline for your brand, you can go ahead and trademark that as well. A tagline tells your customers what you stand for as a business. For example, KFC’s ‘It’s finger-lickin’ good’.

4. Other Options
– Colour Mark: You can trademark color or a combination of colors. (Ex: Cadbury has trademarked the color royal blue)
– Sound Mark: Musical notes or sounds can be trademarked if we can prove that it’s distinctive. Nokia has trademarked its tune.
– Scent Mark: Even scents can be trademarked.

Trademark Classes

Some of the popular trademark classes in India are:

  • Class 9: which includes computer software and electronics,
  • Class 25: which includes clothing,
  • Class 35: which includes business management and advertising, and
  • Class 41: which includes education and entertainment.

Documents Required for Trademark Registration

Initially, you have to provide us with the following details:

  • Applicant’s name
  • Business type
  • Business objectives
  • Brand/logo/slogan name
  • Registration address

 

The documents required are:

  • Signed Form-48
  • Identification proof of the signatory
  • Address proof of the signatory
  • Business proof (depends on the type of business)
  • Udyog Aadhar/MSME registration certificate (optional)