TRADEMARKS AND BUSINESS NAMES
Registering a business name, company name or domain name does not automatically give you:
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intellectual property rights in the name
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any kind of exclusive rights to use the name
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the right or ability to prevent others from using the name.
Not a lot of people know that.
The best way to obtain these rights is to register the business name as a trademark.
The following can also be regisered as trademarks: A word, phrase, logo, picture, shape, letter, number, sound, smell, movement, aspect of packaging, or a combination of these.
To be registrable as a trademark, it must be distinctive.
In other words, it must assist the public to distinguish between your products or services and those of your competitors. It must not be substantially identical or deceptively similar to a pre-existing trademark, and must not so nearly resemble another trademark that it is likely to deceive or cause confusion.
If you would like our assistance in registering your trademark and/or advice relating to trademarks, please contact us here.