A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies and distinguishes your goods or services from other person’s goods or Services. It is a most relevant and intangible asset for any business or organization, as it can help you to protect your brand and prevent others from using your trademarks without your permission thereby limiting your business loss and revenue loss.
The process of registering a trademark in India can be done online through the website of the Trademark Registry of India. The process is relatively straightforward, but there are a few steps that need to be followed in order to complete the process successfully.
Step 1: Search for the Availability of the Trademark
The first step is to search for the availability of the trademark that you want to Register a company. You can do this on the website of the Trademark Registry of India. If the trademark is available, you can proceed with the registration process.
Step 2: Fill out the Trademark Application Form
The next step is to fill out the trademark application form. The form can be can be filed online after creating account in IPR India website. You will need to provide the following information in the form:
- Your name and address
- The name of the trademark that you want to register
- The goods or services that you are using the trademark for
- A description of the trademark
- Email Id and Contact Detail
- Currently Using or proposed usage
Step 3: Pay the Registration Fees
There is a fee payable to the Trademark Registry of India for registering a trademark. The fee varies depending on the class of goods or services that you are using the trademark for. The Charges for the individual category of Trademark Applicant is INR 4500 and other than Individual it is INR 9000. However for Non individual applicant they can provide Udyam Registration or Start up Registration to get the fee reduced to INR 4500 at par with the individual applicant.
Step 4: Submit the Trademark Application
Once you have filled out the trademark application form and paid the registration fees, you can file the application with the Trademark Registry of India with the help of Digital Signature. You need to get the DSC created in your name to sign the application and then we can submit the same.
Step 5: Respond to Objections
If there are any objections to your trademark application, you will need to respond to them. You can do this by filing a response with the Trademark Registry of India.
Step 6: Obtain the Trademark Registration Certificate
Once the Trademark Registry of India has approved your trademark application, you will be issued a trademark registration certificate. This certificate is proof that your trademark has been legally registered. It generally takes 6-8 months to get the Trademark Registration Certificate.
Benefits of Trademark Registration
There are many benefits to registering a trademark, including:
- Protection of your brand: A trademark registration can help you to protect your brand from being used by others without your permission and thereby helping in restricting business loss.
- Increased credibility: A trademark registration can help to increase the credibility of your business. A Registered Trademark gets more credibility as compared to mark which is non-registered.
- Ease of enforcement: If someone infringes on your registered trademark, you will have a stronger legal case if you have a trademark registration.
- Export opportunities: A trademark registration can help you to expand your business into new markets.
