{"id":4773,"date":"2017-08-23T12:55:13","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T11:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seedrs.com\/learn\/?p=4773"},"modified":"2021-05-13T22:27:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T21:27:31","slug":"httpswww-seedrs-trademark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europe.republic.com\/insights\/investing-features-insight\/httpswww-seedrs-trademark","title":{"rendered":"Given your \u2018baby\u2019 a trademark yet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With both entrepreneurs and investors asking us what the point of a trademark was, we decided to create this quick guide to explain some of the basics.<\/p>\n

Almost everything you buy is protected by a trademark, from your coffee\u00a0to the jeans and watch you wear.<\/p>\n

Trademarks help people to distinguish the goods and services that individual companies produce from those of others. You can trademark a word and how it’s\u00a0displayed. \u00a0So, it makes sense to register a trademark to help set your goods\/service apart from anyone else\u2019s offering. Also, by trademarking your brand name, you\u2019ll help protect against others stealing the name or misusing it.<\/p>\n

Avoiding costly confusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If another company registered the brand name you\u2019ve been using, or something similar, would people be confused?<\/p>\n

Now, imagine that someone bought a product that they thought was yours. But, it was in fact from a company with a similar name. It means fewer sales for you and more for them.<\/p>\n

What if these customers weren\u2019t pleased with the quality? They make disparaging and damaging remarks on social media that quickly spread far and wide. It would take an incredible amount of time and energy to repair all the damage and build up sales again.<\/p>\n

And, that\u2019s just one of the reasons why it\u2019s so important that you register your trademark.<\/p>\n

Protect your trademark<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You\u2019ve probably registered your company name<\/a>, \u00a0but that only stops anyone else from registering the very same name at Companies House<\/a>.\u00a0Someone could still register the name as a trademark \u2013 unless you do it first!<\/p>\n

If your business is based in the UK, you could consider protecting your trademark with the UK Patent Office<\/a>, in the EU. Or, maybe you should also think about protecting it in countries that are further afield.<\/p>\n

Trademark protection in Europe and beyond<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you intend to trade in (continental) Europe, consider getting a Community Trade Mark so that you\u2019re registered in all the EU countries.<\/p>\n

Going further out geographically, if you have specific countries in mind where you think you may do business, you may be able to make individual national registrations or international registrations. The latter covers a number of countries in one go.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that your registered trademark will only enjoy extra protection in the specific countries that your trademark\u2019s registered. So, for example, if you registered in China and Japan, you wouldn\u2019t automatically be protected in Korea.<\/p>\n

Is <\/strong>your name registrable?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Trademark acceptance will vary from country to country. In Britain, the UK Intellectual Property Office generally considers whether your trademark will be understood to be one by the generable public. Some examples that can\u2019t be registered include:<\/p>\n