Registering your business trademarks internationally can be beneficial and important. To do so, you must be aware of the methods available at your disposal such as the Madrid Protocol. You must also follow the rules in place for a successful application trademark lawyer.
For a business, trademarks are pivotal for creating a distinction between the services and products it provides from that of others. Trademarks are essential for branding purposes. Generally, a company will have their trademarks registered nationally. This can be a problem when the company decides to go global. In such cases, it can become vulnerable to various issues.
The fact is that these days, it is easier for a company to go global thanks to the internet. As such, you need to make sure that nobody else is using your trademark in another company. If it does happen then your business can be affected negatively. As such, you need to consider going for international trademark registration services. This way, you can protect your trademarks all over the world. Be that as it may, there are a few things you must know first.
The Importance of International Trademark Protection
Business trademarks are some of the most valuable assets for any company. Some items which should be trademarked include the name of the company, the logo, the tagline and the name of the product or service.
If you register your trademark nationally, you will not have any rights over the trademark outside of the country. This is a problem when you are exporting or planning to export your products and services in the future. Since the trademarks are not registered internationally, you may end up losing sales. Even worse, legal disputes are a probability.
Worldwide Trademarks Do Not Exist
You cannot apply for a worldwide trademark registration as there is no such thing. There are only two ways by which you can register your trademarks internationally.
You can start by filing a national trademark application in each country that you want. In order to do so, you will generally have to hire the right agency or lawyer in each of those countries.
The other option is to make use of the Madrid Protocol. Under the Madrid Protocol, you will have to file an application to get international trademark registration. You will also have to mention which countries you are interested in for your business. The application will be based on the national application for trademark registration.
Opt For the Madrid Protocol
Choosing the Madrid Protocol method will be the easiest way for getting your trademark registered internationally. It is quite cost effective as well. In this method, you need to file only one application by means of the treaty. You can then designate which of the other members of the treaty you would like to extend your trademark into. You can opt for international trademark registration services.
However, the fact is that the protocol covers only a select range of nations. As such, if you wish to enter your trademark for registration into a country that is not a member, you will have to do it separately. You will have to make a direct application through the country in question.
Filing an International Trademark
In order to file an international trademark application you must go through the trademarks office of your country which will be known as the Office of Origin. You can take the help of international trademark registration services to make it easier for you. In order to file the application, you will have to be a national of that country. You must also have a real commercial or industrial establishment in that country. There are other rules that you might have to follow before the application can be filed.
Keep in mind that you should register the trademark correctly. Otherwise, it will be your business that suffers in the long run.