Think about you spent years constructing your popularity, and a competitor pops up and steals not simply your online business mannequin but in addition your title and model id! It might sound not possible, but it surely occurs with unlucky regularity. And whilst you can undergo an extended and dear authorized battle to get again the rights of your commerce mark, it’s a lot simpler to register it earlier than one thing goes south.

And admittedly, there isn’t a motive to not. The method is comparatively easy, and whereas it may be a bit costly, in the long term, it’s completely value it. Not solely are you able to keep away from any future battle with rivals, however you too can promote or license our commerce mark for a revenue!

So, in case you are a enterprise included in Singapore then right here is the whole registration course of specified by 7 easy steps.

1. Design A Emblem

Finalise a emblem/commerce mark that represents your online business/model/merchandise/companies effectively. If you’re an present enterprise, then it’s advisable to stay to one thing that has recall worth on your shoppers.

In case your commerce mark has any distinctive or distinctive options, then do make a remark of those as they should be included within the software. This data could possibly be concerning particular colors, shapes, positioning on the product, or in case you are registering a sound as your commerce mark, then it’s essential to additionally embody an audio file and musical notation for it.

2. Examine The Current Commerce Mark Database

Earlier than you apply, it’s essential to additionally flick through the prevailing database of commerce marks (you need to use the e-service IP²SG) to test if one other firm has already registered

one thing comparable.

If one other firm in your business owns an analogous mark or title, then you wouldn’t have the ability to register yours. But when the corporate operates in a special business, you shouldn’t have any issues registering your commerce mark as lengthy it appears completely different.

3. Accumulate All Paperwork

Your software would require sure paperwork and data. These are

• The corporate information or your private data in case you are making use of as a person;

• A graphical illustration of the commerce mark/emblem no larger than an A4-sized paper

• Description of all of the distinguishing options of the commerce mark

• The category of products and companies for which the commerce mark goes to be registered*

• religion declaration

*In your software, you must cite the category beneath which your product/service comes and which the commerce mark will signify. You possibly can select multiple class from an exhaustive record of 45 listed beneath the globally accepted Good Classification of Items and Companies.

4. Submit the applying

You possibly can apply both on-line or bodily on the IPOS workplace. The primary distinction between the 2 processes is the price, as the net submitting technique is comparatively cheaper. On-line varieties additionally are typically processed extra rapidly.

Whereas submitting your software, you even have the choice of submitting separate varieties for every class/class or a single normal software for all classes. The kind of software doesn’t have an effect on the price as you must pay per class. The mixed software might sound extra easy at first look, however it might probably turn into a big roadblock if one thing goes incorrect. If an examiner objects or rejects one class, all the software will get rejected – and you’ll lose your non-refundable software price with it. So in case you are registering your commerce mark for a number of courses then the safer factor to do can be to file individually for every class.

5. Pay the price

The charges, as talked about earlier, is charged for every class. For on-line submitting, it involves S$240 (in case your class comes beneath the pre-approved IPOS database) and S$341 (when you have particular items and companies that aren’t within the database). The price for handbook submitting is S$374.

The funds should be made by way of IP²SG when you obtain cost directions, which normally occurs inside 3 enterprise days after you apply.

6. Move the IPOS scrutiny

After the applying and the price reaches the IPOS workplace, your case is assigned an examiner, and it’s his/her job to make sure that your software meets all of the authorized necessities of a registered commerce mark.

The examiner will search to reply questions comparable to – is the commerce mark towards the general public service? Is it distinctive in your business? Is it deceptive or right? Does the category of products and companies chosen within the software match the enterprise’s choices? And different comparable queries.

In case your commerce mark passes all necessities, then you’ll transfer on to the subsequent step. Else you’ll get a question from the examiner asking you to supply extra particulars to resolve the difficulty. Now it’s as much as you to reply convincingly and on time. Failure to take action will end result within the rejection of your software.

7. Publishing of commerce mark and ready for any objections

After the IPOS approves your commerce mark, they provide most people an opportunity to counter it. For this, the commerce mark is revealed within the Commerce Marks Journal, and for the subsequent 2 months, any social gathering can submit a discover of objection (for a price of S$374 per class). You have to submit a counter assertion (additionally for a price – S$360 per class). The desecion rests wtith the registrar, who will obtain proof from each side.

As soon as all these points are wrapped up, you may be issued a registration certificates, which is legitimate for 10 years, ranging from the date on which you filed your software. After this, you must renew it.

Bonus step for worldwide commerce mark safety

As soon as your commerce mark/emblem has been registered in Singapore, you’ll be able to simply apply for worldwide safety. That is processed by way of IPOS, and the applying requires two charges – IPOS administrative price of S$250 and the WIPO price, which will depend on the sort and color of the commerce mark and the variety of courses.

Does that sound sophisticated, effectively it’s not, however it’s a lengthy course of that may last as long as 10-12 months, and it does require accuracy? When you really feel you aren’t as much as the duty, then simply rent a commerce mark lawyer or agent. Don’t assume twice!