The identity of a business undoubtedly lies in its name, and hence that name should be protected at any cost so that no one tries to misuse it in any manner. To protect this extremely important identity of the brand, every business needs to register the name under the Trademark Act 1999 with the registrar of the trademark. Under this act, not only the name, but any logo, design, slogan or mark related to the business can get protected. Although the registration process can be performed by you online, it has certain legal specifications that may demand a legal expert. For brand name registration in Chennai, you may come across quite a few reputed legal firms that can make sure that your name gets successfully registered and nobody tries to raise an objection.
Steps involved in the process of brand name registration
- Brand name search – The first step under this process is to search for the availability of the name that you wish to register. By doing so, you get the confirmation that the name is unique and is not at all similar to that of any other business. It is this step that prevents others from legally raising an objection during your registration process.
- Submission of the documents – If you have hired an attorney to carry out the process for you, then at this stage you will be asked to fill the relevant information in the documents, sign them and send the soft copies to the attorney so that he can get the authority to file the application on your behalf.
- Preparation of trademark application – During the process of brand name registration in Chennai, after receiving the signed documents, the attorney starts preparing trademark application and sends you the draft application to seek your confirmation. Once you show a green flag, the attorney submits the same application to the registrar of trademark.
- Trademark challan or TM number – Once the application is submitted, the attorney will provide you the trademark application along with a copy of challan. This challan contains date of filing, trademark application number, applicant’s name and the name of the attorney, and acts as an evidence that the application has been submitted. The applicant can start using the brand name by writing ‘TM’ with it to avoid an objection from anyone.
- Brand name successfully registered – The application process usually takes one whole year to complete. If the application is accepted by the registrar, he will publish it in the journal for four months and during this period, it remains open for objection from a third party. After four months, if no objection is raised, he will register the name of the trademark which will remain valid for ten long years, and after that, it will have to be renewed.
Conclusion
To sum up, registering your brand name is essential for the success and continuity of your business, however, the whole process can be confusing and challenging, and hence, you need a legal expert to guide you. For brand name registration in Chennai, you can find quite a few renowned attorneys who can perform the entire registration job for you, so that your business does not get tangled in the complexities of the process.