Did you realise that you may be failing to protect your companys brand if you don’t register your trademark? If you need to know more about what  a trademark is, and how you should go about protecting it, then take a closer look at the following:

Steps

1. Be aware of the purpose of a trademark. A trademark protects your brand name, or any sign or symbol that allows your customers to differentiate your business or goods from your competitors. You can register a name, logo, slogan or strap line.
2. Be certain that your trademark is distinctive. Distinctiveness is important for the goods and services you sell. This means that they must not be similar or identical to any earlier marks for the same goods or services.
3. Apply for registration. If your trademark meets these requirements, you should consider applying for a registered trademark. Once your trademark is registered, you usually have to renew it every 10 years to keep it in force.
4. Recognize the benefits of having a registered trademark. Registering your trademark gives you the exclusive right to use your mark for the goods and services that it covers in the country(where the trademark is registered). It also gives you the right for preventing others to use an identical or similar mark in the same category of goods or services.
5. Be aware of the functions of a trademark. The trademark identifies the goods properly. It guarantees the unchanged quality of the goods, creates an image in the minds of the consumers and helps in advertising the goods.

Tips

• To get your trademark registered, contact your local Intellectual Property Office or Trademark office in your country, or utilise the services of a trademark attorney.
• Applying for and getting a trademark is an easy process.
• It is also important to get your domain name (xyz.co.uk) registered as a trademark in your country. If there is another company operating in the same line of business in another country and has a similar domain name (xyz.com), they may take action, to transfer your domain (xyz.com) to themselves, by proving that they are in the relevant business prior to you. The only defence that you can provide against this action, is having your domain (xyz.co.uk) registered as a trademark in your country.

Warnings

• Failure to protect your trademark can be dangerous to your business. The first applicant to file for a particular trademark usually gets it registered. If someone else has registered your trademark, they can prevent you from using the same and also gain all the benefits of your goodwill that your trademark has obtained over many years.

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