A trade name can be registered under the Trademarks Act only if it is also used as a trademark that is, if it is used to identify goods or services.įor example, let us suppose that you own an ice cream business and that your company is called "A.B.C. Integrated circuit topographies are the three-dimensional configurations of electronic circuits embodied in integrated circuit products or layout designs.Ī trade name is the name of your business.Industrial designs are the visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament, or any combination of these features applied to a finished article.Copyright provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works (including computer programs) and other subject-matter known as performer's performances, sound recordings and communication signals.Patents cover new and useful inventions (product, composition, machine, process) or any new and useful improvement to an existing invention.Trademarks may be one or a combination of words, sounds, designs, tastes, colours, textures, scents, moving images, three-dimensional shapes, modes of packaging or holograms, used to distinguish the goods or services of one person or organization from those of others.However, there are important differences: Like trademarks, these others are forms of intellectual property. People occasionally confuse trademarks with patents, copyrights, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies. For example, the Woolmark design, owned by Woolmark Americas Ltd., is used on clothing and other goods. A certification mark can be licensed to many people or companies for the purpose of showing that certain goods or services meet a defined standard.You could register these words as a trademark (if you met all the legal requirements) for the service that you offer. For example, suppose you started a courier business that you chose to call Giddy-up. An ordinary trademark includes words, designs, tastes, textures, moving images, mode of packaging, holograms, sounds, scents, three-dimensional shapes, colours, or a combination of these used to distinguish the goods or services of one person or organization from those of others.
Trademarks are very valuable intellectual property.
Over time, trademarks come to stand for not only the actual goods or services a person or company provides, but also the reputation of the producer. What is a trademark? A trademark is a sign or combination of signs used or proposed to be used by a person to distinguish their goods or services from those of others. Registering your trademark gives you legal title to it the way a deed gives you title to a piece of real estate. Companies spend millions of dollars taking care of their corporate image.Ī registered trademark is one way to protect your corporate image. That is because the public likes what it knows and trusts. In fact, some brand names that got famous in the 1920s for being reliable and high quality are still leaders today. If people cannot pick your products or services out from the crowd, they might work with another person or company that is easier for them to notice. To succeed in the business world, you need to send the right message and develop the right image.
Expungement of a trademark registration.
This guide explores what trademarks are, how they can benefit you and your organization, and why registration is important.