Register your trademark, protect your brand!
What is a trademark?
A trademark is a unique sign, design, or expression which identifies products or services of a particular company from those of others. A trademark basically distinguishes a company or a business goods and services from others.
The principal aim of trademark protection is to confer exclusivity of use on the proprietor of a registered trademark for goods and services placed in streams of commerce, and to restrain unpermitted usage of similar or identical trademarks.
Many businesses have catch phrases and logos but most of them are not registered. Clash of services, mistaken identities, hijack of clients are inevitable when your trademarks are not protected. Imagine your client base, hard work and persistence in building your brand going down the drain simply because your Logo, catch phrase or distinct design that highlights your service was registered by another company or person before you even realized it. I know it is hard to imagine but what is simpler is the registration of your trademark.
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR TRADE MARK
Trade mark registration in Nigeria is done by the trade mark registry with the aid of accredited agents it is easier.
There are 45 classes of trademarks in Nigeria with class 1 -34 protecting goods and products while class 35-45 protecting services. With the help of www.618bees.com you can easily identify which class your goods or services fall under. In some cases, a particular company’s goods and services may likely fall under 2 or more classes of trade mark. Registering your trademark under a particular class offers you exclusive right of trade mark protection in the goods or services under that class, your trade mark protection does not extend to the other classes not registered under.
An application is made to the registry indicating the particular class of trademark under which your goods and services fall; publication is made for a certain period of time within which such trade mark can be opposed. Trade mark is approved if there are no oppositions or the opposition lacked merit.
DURATION
Trade mark protection is valid for 7years from the date of application and renewable for 14years after the expiration of the initial 7years.
The necessity of trade mark protection cannot be over emphasized. The rate of business hijack and its devastating effect cannot be undermined. Entrepreneurship is the new wave and a large number of persons have business with no form of protection. It is safer to be on guard than to be sorry.
The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only, no information contained in this post should be construed as legal advise, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or professional advise from the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer.
This post is protected by intellectual property law and regulations. It may however be shared using appropriate sharing tools provided that our authorship is always acknowledged and this Disclaimer Notice attached.
Team 618bees
+234-128-03791
23b Adebisi Popoola crescent
Off Victoria Ariobeke Street Lekki Phase 1
Lagos, Nigeria
Chat on WhatsApp