TRADEMARKREGISTRATIONENTREPRENUERSGUIDE

With the advent of branding and the increase in value being attached to it, the issue of

protectionofconsumersfromunauthorizedviolationofbrandsisgainingimportance.Mostoftenthan not,abrandisrepresentedbyamark,calleditstrademark.Thetrademarkassociatesasourceorquality orcharacterofagoodorservicewithitself.Accordingly,protectingatrademarkfromunauthorizeduse ishighlywarranted. TrademarksareprotectedinIndiabytheTrademarksAct,1999(TMAct).TheTMActdefinesa

trademark as a device, brand, heading, label, ticket, name, signature, word, letter, numeral, shape of goods, packaging or combination of colours or any combination thereof, which is used to distinguish goodsandservicesprovidedinthecourseoftradebyapersonfromthegoodsandservicesprovidedby otherpersonandshouldbecapableofbeinggraphicallyrepresented.TheTMActcallsforregistrationof trademarkssoastomakeanylikelihoodofcausingdeceptioninamarkimpermissibleinlaw. Atrademarkonceregisteredundertheactgivesthetrademarkproprietorsomeveryimportant

legal rights. Firstly, the registration of trademark provides the proprietor of the trademark, exclusive rightstousetheTMinrelationtothegoodsorservices.Secondly,theregistrationofthetrademarkisa prima facie proof of validity of the registered trademark. In any legal proceeding, this is highly important. Thirdly, the registration of trademark allows the proprietor of the mark to license his/her rights in the trademark to a third party. This acts as a constant source of royalty for trademark proprietors.Allthefranchisechainsthatyoufindaroundarearesultoflicensingoftrademarks. However,mostimportantly,theregistrationoftrademarkprovidestheproprietorwithrightsto

preventunauthorizeduseofhis/herregisteredtrademark.Thepreventionmaybeinformofinjunctions (temporaryorpermanentstays)orderedbyacourtoflaw,orinformofdamages.Thisremedyisnot availabletounregisteredtrademarksassection27oftheTMActstatesthatnoinfringementactionis maintainableundertheTMActagainstanunregisteredtrademark. Inarecentcase,MahashianDiHattiLtd(MDH)VsMr.RajNiwas,ProprietorOfMHS,theDelhi

HighCourtrestrainedMHSfrommanufacturingandmarketinganyspicesorcondimentsusingthelogo MHSowingtoitssimilaritytoMDH.Thecourtheldthatsuchuseisinviolationofthetradeamarkheld

byMDH.Interestingly,MDHwasalsoawardedpunitivedamagesamountingtoRs.1lakhagainstMHS. Inanotherlandmarkjudgment,HeroHondaMotorsLtd.VsMr.LaxmikantPatelAndAnr.,theDelhiHigh Court allowed Hero Honda to take infringing goods of the deceiver and destroy those goods. A huge penaltyofRs.5lakhwasalsochargedfortheinfringementoftrademarkprotectedinfavourofHERO HONDA. There are myriad examples in trademark jurisprudence in which the trademark proprietors have successfully and easily got stays or received punitive damages from courts of laws in case of violation of their trademark rights. Trademark disputes are treated differently by the courts from commoncivildisputes,andtheenforcementisrelativelyeasy.

ProcessofTMregistration
1. WhograntstrademarkregistrationandunderwhichAct?
A trademark is granted by the Registrar of Trademarks, an appointee under the TM Act. For getting a trademark granted, an application is made in a prescribed manner. The application is addressed to the Registrar, and is filed with the office of the Trademark Registry. The Trademark Registry has its head office at Mumbai and also functions through 4 more offices in Delhi, Kolkata, ChennaiandAhmadabad.Eachofficehasaspecificjurisdiction,andthefollowingtabledescribestheir details: Trademark Name Trade Marks Registry, State Mumbai(HeadOffice) ofMaharashtra, Intellectual Property Bhavan, Near Antop Hill Head Post Office, Registry Jurisdiction Location

MadhyaPradeshandGoa

S.M. Road , Antop Hill, Mumbai 400037 Tel: 0222410 1144, 24101177, 24112211

24148251, Fax:24120808,24132295 Trade Registry,Delhi Marks State of Jammu & Intellectual

PropertyBhavan,

Plot

Kashmir, Punjab,Haryana, NO.32,Section14,Dwarka,Delhi Uttar Pradesh,HimachalPrades Tel.01128082915/16/17

h,UnionTerritoryofDelhi andChandigarh Trade Marks State ofArunachalPradesh, Assam,Bihar,Orissa,West Bengal, Manipur,Mizoram,Megh alaya,Sikkim,Tripuraand Union Territory CP2, Sector V,

Registry,Kolkata

5thfloor,I.P.Bhavan,SaltLake, Kolkata700091.Telfax:03323677311

ofNagaland,Andaman& NicobarIsland. Trade Marks The state ofGujaratand 15/27NationalChambers,1stfloor, Rajasthan andUnionTerritoryofDa mman,Diu,DadraandNa garHaveli
Trade Marks Registry, Chennai

Registry,Ahmadabad

Ashramroad, Ahmedabad380009. Tel:07926580567

The state of Andhra IPbuilding,GSTRoad,Guindy Pradesh,Kerala, TamilNadu, Karnataka Chennai600032 Tele: 04422502041,Fax:044

andUnionTerritoryofPon

dicherryandLakshadweep 22502042 Island For registration an application is required to be made to the Registrar. For filing new

applicationsthereareprescribedformsdependingonthenatureoftheapplicationsuchasFormTM1, TM2,TM3,TM8,andTM51etc.

2. Whathappensaftersubmittingatrademarkapplication?
Anapplicationcanbefiledforasmanynumbersofgoodsandservicesasmentionedinschedule

IVoftheTrademarkRules.Thesearecalledclassesandthetrademarkregisterwiththeregistrarnotes underwhichclass/classesatrademarkhasbeenregistered. Aftersubmissionofanapplicationthevariousstagesitgoesthroughareasfollows Acceptance Advertisement Opposition,ifany Correctionandamendment,ifopposed Registration

3. HowlongdoesittakeforTMregistration?
From start to finish, the time taken for registration of a trademark is normally 1218 months.

Whereasifanapplicationisrejectedatanystagewithinregistrationvizacceptanceandopposition,an appeal to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board which is constituted at Chennai. Further from decisionsoftheappealrevisionispossibleintheHighCourt/SupremeCourt.

4. Howtogetinternationalprotectionforatrademark?
Protection of trademarks internationally is done with the aid of the Madrid Protocol. A

protection can be availed in all those countries to whose citizens India also provides protection. The Protocol is managed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and offers a trademark proprietorthepossibilityofhavingamarkprotectedinupto77countriesandtheEuropeanCommunity (EC)byfilingoneapplication,inonelanguage(English,FrenchorSpanish),withonesetoffees,inone currency (Swiss Francs). The proprietors wishing to use the Madrid system must apply for trademark protection in a relevant national or regional trademark office before seeking international protection. Thereafter,theinternationalregistrationcanbemaintainedandrenewedthroughasingleprocedureat WIPO.

5. CostforProtection

 The government fees for filing a trademark application in one class of goods or services is ` 3,500/.Foreachextraclassaddedintheapplicationanadditionalfeeof`3,500/perclassistobepaid tothegovernment. Thus ifanapplicationisfiledfor10classes ofgoods/servicesthegovernmentfee willbe` 3,500X10=` 35,000/. Professionalschargefortheentireprocessorwithbreakupi.e.fordifferentstages.Thetypical chargesarearound` 4,0007,500/tillthefilingstage,orminimum` 20,000/fortheentireprocessof registration,whichmeansfromfilingstagetotheregistrationoftrademark.

Issuesintrademarkprotection
While applying for trademark registration, one should be aware of some issues which are

essential to be complied with for registration. Knowledge about such issues may help you in understanding whether your trademark is protectable under the TM Act. This will in turn help you in decidingwhethertogoaheadwiththeregistrationprocess. Generally,therearetwokindsofgroundsforrefusalsuggestedbythetrademarkActThe

AbsoluteGrounds(section9)andTheRelativeGrounds(section11).Basedonanunderstandingof thesegrounds,thefollowingmarksmaynotbeabletogetregistrationundertheTradeMarksAct: 1. AMarkwhichisdevoidofanydistinctivecharacter(whichisincapableofdistinguishingthe goodsorservicesofonepersonfromthatofanother), 2. AMarkwhichislikelytodeceiveorcauseconfusion, 3. AMarkwhichiscontrarytoanylawforthetimebeinginforce, 4. AMarkwhichisphoneticallysimilartoanyexistingregisteredmark, 5. AMarkwhichisdeceptivelysimilartoanyexistingregisteredmark, 6. AMarkwhichisidenticaltoanyexistingregisteredmark, 7. AMarkwhichcontainsscandalousorobscenematter, 8. AMarkwhichislikelytohurtthereligioussentimentsofaparticularclassofthesociety, 9. AMarkwhichisdisentitledtoprotectionincourt,and 10. A Mark whose use is prohibited under the Emblems and names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act,1950.

Formoredetailsonhowtoregisteryourtrademark,pleasefeelfreetocontact usatinfo@inohelp.com.

AboutUs
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