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A trademark is a sign or mark that distinguishes what one produces, manufactures, or sells from another entity's goods. It is made up of a sign, a character, a figure, or a 3-dimensional shape (or the combination of these and their colors) that differentiate one's own product from those of others. Trademarks are attached to products so that consumers can easily identify products' manufacturers and sellers in the marketplace (as indicator of the products' origin) - acting as vouchers of the products' authenticity and aiding in maintaining consumers' trust.

Service marks and collective marks follow the same principle:

Service Mark


A service mark is used to distinguish services, instead of goods, of a service provider, e.g., an advertising company, a financial services provider, a restaurant, etc.

Collective Mark

A collective mark involves the use of the same trademark/service mark by members of a collective group or organization, indicating membership in a union, an association, or a cooperative. For example, AFL-CIO is a collective mark used to indicate membership in the US union body.



-(1) Full particulars of applicant(s), the trademark, the designated goods and class thereof;
-(2) Clear specimen of the trademark;
-(3) Priority data including filing date, application number, country name, if priority is claimed;
-(4) Certified copy of a priority application, if priority is claimed; and
-(5) A simply signed Power of Attorney


The applicant must indicate the "class" of goods /services that the applied trademark/service mark belongs to. (The classes are product/service categories established by the NICE classification system, the international classification of goods and services under the NICE agreement. For a full description of the NICE system and list of categories, please, visit WIPO's NICE section here.) If your product/service does not fall under any given category, a short designation indicating its use/purpose and features/what it does is used in its stead.


The applicant can choose goods/services within any single category without having to pay additional fees.



Substantive examinations for trademarks occur without an explicit request for an examination, unlike for patents.
Trademarks that fall under the following are not considered registerable:

- A commonly used designation for the product, e.g., "Boots" for a footwear product.
- Word(s) that describes the product's characteristic or quality (e.g., "Thirst-Quencher" for a beverage product), its raw materials, or a generally-associated place of origin/geographical location (e.g., "Vermont's Maple Syrup").
- Description(s) composed solely of geographical name (e.g., The Seattle Coffee) or a (graphical) mark that is, essentially, only a map.
- A person's common surname only, unless it has been extensively used in association with the product (e.g., "Barclays Bank" for the British financial institution).
- A common symbol or symbols (e.g., the "H" symbol generally used for hospitals).
- Trademarks that violate public moral standards.
- Trademarks that include a prominent, recognizable name without permission (e.g., celebrity's name).
- Trademarks that are identical or similar to another person's trademark that is well-known among consumers.

Estimated Period


Currently, the examination is completed approximately 8-9 months after the filing date of the application.

Publication of the Application

If the examiner cannot find a reason to refuse the application, the examiner's office makes public the application in the Trademark Publication Gazette (the examiner office's declaration of intent that the registration will be approved). From the date of publication, a third-party has 30 days to file a "notice of opposition", an objection that states reasons why the trademark should not be registered.


After the publication period (of 30 days) is completed, the examiner's office sends a copy of the decision for registration to the applicant, and once the registration fee is paid, the trademark (the ownership rights) becomes active due to the already-established registration. The owner of the trademark has exclusive rights to the use of the trademark, which is protected under both civil and criminal jurisdictions. The registration is accompanied by a issuing of a registration number, and the trademark symbol can be attached to any packaging and advertising materials.


From the date of registration, a trademark lasts for 10 years, which can be renewed every 10 years thereafter to maintain ownership.