Trademark plays an important role for any entity, it is the intellectual property that a brand owns to showcase their product. With a trademark, a company’s product or service can easily be identified. As a particular brand or entry establishes itself in the market, they file for a trademark to make sure that their product or service is easily identifiable and consumers associate themselves with the indicial company.
The Trademark Act of 1999 allows companies to register for various types of trademarks as per their choice. These types of trademarks can be used by a company as an identification of their products or services. Based upon the type of product, various types of trademarks can be registered. These include world marks, service marks, logos and symbols, shape of goods, series marks, collective trademarks, and certification marks. Once a company finishes the process of trademark registration in India, they benefit from legal protection if someone else uses their logo, words marks, or any other type of trademark.
Kinds Of Trademarks in India
- Logos and Symbols
Logos and symbols are trademarked by the company when their designed or printed article is a part of their products. The logos or symbols usually do not contain any words or sentences. If a company’s logo contains words, they need to register for word marks as well. In such a scenario, the company has to trademark both their logo and their word marks.
- Word Marks
Word marks are the most common type of trademarks. Companies use this type of trademark to particularly highlight a product or service that the brand is associated with. If a company has only text that is used to highlight the brand or the product or service, Word Marks type of trademark is used.
- Service Marks
When a brand or a company wants to showcase a service that they provide, they can register themselves as service marks. These marks are a representation of the brand and overtime they come to be known and associated with that service. For example, FedEx is now associated with courier services and no one else can use the same name to determine their services in the same category.
- Series Marks
When a brand has a series of products that are starting with the same prefix or ending with a particular suffix, a brand needs to register for series marks. A shared common name across products or services is the major highlight of the Series Marks type of trademark.
- Shape of Goods
According to the trademarks act, a company can now have legal protection by applying for a trademarked shape of goods. Whenever a brand has a product that is retailed or sold in a particular shaped container or bottle, they can apply for this type of trademark so that no other brand or company can sell their products in a similar looking container or packaging.
- Collective Trademarks
Collective trademarks are the ones that are used by a particular company or an organisation and are used by various other companies or brands that are a part of that organisation or the parent company.
- Certification Marks
A certification mark represents that a company has successfully acquired a particular quality standard. A certification body trademarks the certificate and provides it to any company that falls in its category. Once the certification mark is acquired by a company for its product or service, they can use it for marketing purposes.
- Geographical Indicators
A Geographical Indication is used for a product or a service that can be used to highlight a particular region where the product has been manufactured. However, the GI Registry has the duty to assign Geographical Indicators to companies. But, once acquired, a company can display their Geographical Indicators so that the customers know where the products come from and it also shows its unique nature.
Trademark lawyers make sure that once your brand has received certification, no other company can use it. The Trademark Registration Process in India has become simple and you can utilise and enjoy the benefits once your product has been trademarked.