• Trade mark tips

Trade mark help – Tips for Beginners

Do your searches

We have all had that eureka moment and come up with a great idea only to find that someone else has already thought of it. Before applying for your trade mark do a search in the Intellectual Property Office’s database to make sure that names, phrases or symbols that you want to trade mark aren’t already taken. This is essential to make sure that you are not unintentionally taking someone else’s idea, especially as this opens you and your business open for legal issues in the future from the original owners.

Make up your name

If you have a new business, product or service, making up a name makes it more likely that the trade mark application will go through without a hitch. Being too literal with your company or product name may throw hurdles in your way as many other companies are likely to have done the same. Having a made up name also makes your business or product stand out more amongst competitors – Look at Volvo, Microsoft or Hasbro for instance.

Think ahead

Once you have registered your trademark it’s important to remember that it will run out in ten years before the renewal fees are due. For example, let’s say that your products include makeup and cosmetics but you have a plan to extend this to clothing and shoes at some point in the future; you will need to register the trademark to include these classes of products or face the lengthy process of putting a new trade mark in place for each.

Enforce your rights

It’s no good having a trade mark in place if you are unaware that it is being infringed upon. It may seem paranoid to periodically check if your ideas are being used without your permission, but enforcing your rights is important to make sure that no one is profiting from your intellectual property. In the case that someone is using your trade mark without permission, this does not necessarily mean that you are forced on the road to legal action – you can issue a request in writing which may resolve the issue before it escalates.

Read our section on intellectual property to find out more about trade marks and other areas of IP protection or attend one of our many free workshops to get the details from real industry experts in person. If you want to find out more about our seminars and workshops, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

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