With the vast increase of self-registered online and retail businesses in today’s era of modernization, digitalization and commercialism, it is very important for entrepreneurs to protect their brand of products and services from possible theft and duplication. Currently, registering a trademark is one of the most effective ways of securing the exclusive rights and the uniqueness of the name, brand, and logo of your business.

Unlike a patent, a trademark does not protect your product or invention itself but rather the intellectual property right of your company’s unique name and brand. A trademark can consist of signs, shapes, patterns, pictures, logos, names, letters, sounds, symbols and even packaging of goods which distinctively identify the business’s products or services and separate them from those of competitors. A company trademark is a highly valuable proprietary asset that brands the quality of your merchandise and has the legal standing to safeguard its goodwill and reputation.

It crucial to note, however, that a trademark gives its proprietor an exclusive right of use only in the jurisdiction of registration and only under the class of goods or services for which it is registered. Therefore, these are two highly important factors that need to be carefully considered when registering a trademark. The country of registration should vastly depend on the business’s target market, whether it be national, EU based or international. To fully protect your enterprise, it is important to consider possible business expansion in the future, the popularity growth of your product or service, its digital outreach and its exclusivity.Although it may be difficult and expensive for smaller growing businesses to register in every single country, our firm can suggest many solutions and options for safeguarding your hard-earned brand.

Similarly, the class under which the trademark is registered is of utmost importance. The international classification of goods and services also known as the Nice Classification (NCL) is a standard international system of 45 different classes used for classifying goods and services upon trademark registration. For some specific businesses, like for example, furniture production the classification choice would be quite simple with a very low risk of the trademark being utilized for another purpose or industry. However, if you run a successful financial services company and have not taken the necessary precautions to protect your trademark, a brand-new legal service provider can open an office next door to yours with your name, a very similar logo and take full advantage of your hard-earned clientele and reputation with every legal right to do so if they have registered the trademark as well without your preliminary official objection. Therefore, we highly urge our clients to seek professional advice upon registration and carefully monitor the official gazettes for any attempts of copying your brand.

At Arnos, we understand that trademarks and patents play a vital role in distinguishing your business from your competitors and protecting your company’s reputation and your customers’ rights to depend on trusted and known brands of quality products and services. Our expert team can advise you on the best jurisdiction to register your trademark on a global level, professionally handle the entire registration process in the most cost-efficient and timely manner and provide full legal support should it be required.