Want to safeguard your brand, logo or business name? Then you should surely know about trademark registration.
What is Trademark Registration?
Trademark registration provides legal identity to your brand, logo or company name. It helps your customer to distinguish your company products and services from others and creates business goodwill, customer retention and brand recognition.
To get your trademark registered you need to follow a full fledge registration procedure that involves trademark search.
What is Trademark Search?
It is the first most step of the trademark registration. It is done to check the uniqueness and distinctiveness of your trademark from other registered trademarks.
Therefore if the applicant needs to register their brand, logo or company name they need to make sure about the uniqueness of their trademark through trademark search. It usually requires a lot of searching which is generally carried out by applicant or else he can take help of some professionals to do it on behalf of him.
How to carry out Trademark Search?
Here are some specific steps you need to follow to carry out the search for your trademark:
- Take the help of professional to search the trademark names and create a substantial trademark search report on the basis of it.
- Visit the trademark search database website. You can easily visit this website by clicking here.
- After opening the link a new page will open. On the open page, you will find a ‘search type’ option. Where you need to select wordmark from the three options at the top of the page- Vienna code, phonetic and wordmark.
- Now enter the word mark i.e. involves the trademark you would like to search from the trademark database. Trademark database can be compared to the search query on the basis of three conditions i.e. “Start with”, “contains” and “match with”.
- “Start with” condition will showcase all entries in the trademark search database that starts with the value provided for the search.
- “Contains” condition is used to showcase all the entries in the trademark search database that contains the value provided for the search.
- “Match with” condition is used to showcase all the entries in the trademark search database that matches with the value provided for the search.
- Enter the applicable trademark class. Trademark classification into various categories makes it easier to identify the various classes. There are about 45 trademark classes and each class represents a different group of services and goods. The trademark application is only pertinent to the class under which it is applied.
- Click on the ‘search’ button to begin with trademark search.
- Once you are done with the trademark search and have verified the uniqueness of your trademark now you can draft your trademark application in the prescribed format.
- Now, submit the application to the trademark registry.
- The trademark registry will further check and verify the application for violations consistent with ipindia Trademark Public search.
- If all goes well and there is no objection by any of the opponents your proposed trademark will get registered within 18-20 months.
What are the benefits of Trademark Search?
- Provides information and details of any existing brand name similar to yours.
- Provides information regarding well-known marks which are similar to your trademark.
- Provides you information whether your brand name can be registered or not.
- Saves your time and money as in case any similar trademark exists you can alter your mark or select a new name for the registration process.
Summary
Trademark search is a very crucial step that requires a lot of time and hard work. It not only saves your time and money but also helps you to identify similar brands and logos of your products. One can carry out a trademark search by own or can take help from a professional who has great experience in this field.
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