Trademark / Design / Patent Application
Trademarks may be registered or unregistered. The owner of a registered trademark has an exclusive right to use the mark on the goods and/or the services for which the mark was registered. Unregistered trademarks may be protected by the common law action of passing off. Generally speaking, a passing off claim requires proof of misrepresentation made by a trader which causes damage to the goodwill of the claimant. Passing off is usually a more difficult action to bring than an action for infringement of a registered trademark. It is strongly recommended traders to register their trademarks in the jurisdiction of use. Each jurisdiction's trademark registration system is separate from the other trademark systems elsewhere in the world. In order to obtain protection as registered trademarks in a jurisdiction, trademarks must be registered in each jurisdiction of use. Under the Paris Convention, applicants for trademarks in a Convention jurisdiction can enjoy a right of priority in respect of their corresponding applications in a Paris Convention country or WTO member.
If the owner is in a jurisdiction that is a party to the Madrid Protocol, one can go through the Madrid system to obtain a bundle of trademark registrations in separate jurisdictions. Registration through the Madrid System does not create a unified registration; rather, it creates a bundle of national rights through an international registration able to be administered centrally. Madrid provides a mechanism for obtaining trademark protection in many countries around the world which is more effective than seeking protection separately in each individual country or jurisdiction of interest.
Like the other types of intellectual property rights, patent protection granted in the jurisdiction is territorial. In other words, patents granted in one jurisdiction can only be enforceable in that jurisdiction. The patent system is separate from the other patent systems elsewhere in the world and patents granted in one jurisdiction do not automatically enjoy protection in another jurisdiction. Different jurisdictions would have different patent application forms. You should check the patent office at the relevant jurisdiction to see if they have the relevant patent application form.
In many jurisdictions, there are two types of patents granted, namely standard patents and short-term patents (because of the time it takes to grant a standard patent):
Patents are granted after a formal examination. The benefits of having a patent is obvious - a patent gives the patent owner the right to exclude others from using the patented commercial product or process, e.g. manufacturing, importing and marketing. This is also called the design patent protection. A major issue with patent application is that it requires full disclosure to the public information regarding the patent, and many companies may prefer to keep such information as a trade secret instead (see below). People who are employed to do research are often obligated by their employment contracts to assign inventions to their employer.
To register your design, it must:
Some examples of registrable designs such as distinctive patterns from well-known fashion brands, and the outward appearance of products. Designs are registered subject to a formality examination. Applicants for design applications in a Paris Convention jurisdiction can enjoy a right of priority in respect of their corresponding applications subsequently filed in a Paris Convention country or WTO member.
Claims for infringement by the registered design patent owner may be brought in court by civil action. The registered design patent owner may apply for an injunction, an order for delivery up, damages or an account of profits. Design patent registration system in a jurisdiction is separated from other jurisdictions and will need to be registered in each jurisdiction of use.
|
|
Trademark |
Patents |
Designs |
Copyrights |
Trade Secrets |
|
Subject Matter Normally Protected |
Signs that distinguish goods or services of one trader from those of others |
Invention |
Industrial product, designs, fabric designs |
Books, software, plays, music, paintings, sculpture, photographs, films, sound recordings, broadcasts, cable programmes, performances |
Formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, commercial method, or compilation of information not generally known or reasonably ascertainable. |
|
Whether Registration is required for effective protection |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Not the right document?
Don’t worry, we have thousands of documents for you to choose from:
10 Jun 2022
6 min read
2 Jun 2022
6 min read
27 May 2022
6 min read
20 May 2022
6 min read
9 May 2022
6 min read
3 May 2022
3 min read
25 Apr 2022
5 min read
31 Mar 2022
1 min read
29 Mar 2022
1 min read
20 Mar 2022
6 min read
12 Mar 2022
5 min read
21 Feb 2022
5 min read
31 Jan 2022
5 min read
13 Jan 2022
4 min read
3 Jan 2022
5 min read
7 Dec 2021
11 min read
14 Nov 2021
6 min read
1 Nov 2021
9 min read
21 Oct 2021
1 min read
17 Oct 2021
7 min read
7 Oct 2021
12 min read
16 Sep 2021
4 min read
14 Sep 2021
5 min read
10 Sep 2021
3 min read
31 Aug 2021
4 min read
23 Aug 2021
3 min read
16 Aug 2021
5 min read
30 Jul 2021
6 min read
23 Jul 2021
7 min read
13 Jul 2021
5 min read
2 Jul 2021
5 min read
24 Jun 2021
5 min read
15 Jun 2021
4 min read
4 Jun 2021
6 min read
28 May 2021
5 min read
21 May 2021
5 min read
14 May 2021
5 min read
7 May 2021
5 min read
30 Apr 2021
5 min read
23 Apr 2021
5 min read
16 Apr 2021
5 min read
9 Apr 2021
5 min read
1 Apr 2021
5 min read
26 Mar 2021
4 min read
19 Mar 2021
5 min read
12 Mar 2021
5 min read
5 Mar 2021
6 min read
26 Feb 2021
5 min read
19 Feb 2021
6 min read
11 Feb 2021
5 min read
29 Jan 2021
6 min read
29 Jan 2021
3 min read
22 Jan 2021
6 min read
15 Jan 2021
6 min read
8 Jan 2021
6 min read
31 Dec 2020
6 min read
24 Dec 2020
0 min read
24 Dec 2020
7 min read
18 Dec 2020
6 min read
11 Dec 2020
6 min read
4 Dec 2020
6 min read
27 Nov 2020
6 min read
27 Nov 2020
7 min read
22 Nov 2020
7 min read
13 Nov 2020
8 min read
12 Nov 2020
8 min read
7 Nov 2020
8 min read
5 Nov 2020
6 min read
30 Oct 2020
7 min read
29 Oct 2020
8 min read
23 Oct 2020
7 min read
19 Oct 2020
8 min read
16 Oct 2020
10 min read
7 Oct 2020
9 min read
28 Sep 2020
8 min read
18 Sep 2020
7 min read
9 Sep 2020
7 min read
3 Sep 2020
7 min read
27 Aug 2020
8 min read
27 Aug 2020
9 min read
19 Aug 2020
8 min read
17 Aug 2020
8 min read
11 Aug 2020
8 min read
11 Aug 2020
8 min read
10 Aug 2020
11 min read
10 Aug 2020
9 min read
7 Aug 2020
9 min read
4 Aug 2020
9 min read
3 Aug 2020
10 min read
23 Jul 2020
8 min read
23 Jul 2020
8 min read
12 Jul 2020
8 min read
5 Jul 2020
7 min read
25 Jun 2020
7 min read
12 Jun 2020
9 min read
11 Jun 2020
9 min read
9 Jun 2020
9 min read
8 Jun 2020
8 min read
4 Jun 2020
5 min read
4 Jun 2020
8 min read
2 Jun 2020
10 min read
28 May 2020
13 min read
25 May 2020
8 min read
1 May 2020
10 min read
1 Apr 2020
6 min read
1 Mar 2020
11 min read
1 Feb 2020
11 min read
8 Jan 2020
9 min read
1 Jan 2020
1 min read
10 Dec 2019
7 min read
26 Nov 2019
8 min read
5 Nov 2019
5 min read
24 Oct 2019
3 min read
1 Oct 2019
1 min read
1 Oct 2019
1 min read
