As we enter a new year it is a good time for businesses to start afresh with good practices and a great place to start with this is reviewing commercial contracts . There are many contracts that businesses will be involved in regardless of the size or...
Trademark infringement is the unauthorised use of a trademark that is identical or confusingly similar to a registered trademark, causing confusion among consumers and potentially harming the trademark owner's business reputation and rights.
Registering a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is a way of distinguishing your products or services from those of your competitors. A trademark can be a unique company name, logo, product name, tag line or a myriad of other things that your business is or does, as long as it meets the requirements. It means that if someone else, whether they are an individual or a business, tries to use something that is the same, or very similar to a trademark that you have registered, this would be copyright infringement.
If you have registered a trademark, you’re able to take legal action if someone uses it without your permission. You can also use the registered trademark symbol ® next to anything you have registered as a trademark to publicly show that it has trademark protection. Registering a trademark also enables you to sell and licence your brand if you wish to.
Trademark registrations last for 10 years and can be renewed for another 10 years. However, if you fail to pay the renewal fee on time, the trademark will expire, and this brand element will no longer be protected.