Trademark registration is a mandatory procedure for anyone planning to develop a business. Images, words and phrases, holograms and sounds, colors, and even odors – everything can be registered as a trademark and have appropriate legal protection.
There are many types of trademarks. By far the most popular ones are verbal, design marks or their combination – combined marks.
Basic types of trademarks:
- Verbal marks – words, phrases, sentences, including business names or their distinctive elements;
- Design marks – compositions made of geometric figures, ornaments, graphic images;
- Combined marks – a combination of verbal and design marks;
- Volumetric marks – three-dimensional models having height, width and length.
However, the legislation provides for (article 1482 of the Civil Codeof the Russian Federation) and in practice there are examples of rarer types of marks. For instance, there have been registered such original trademarks as the sound mark – cat purring (Russian Federation Certificate No. 262372), the changing mark – the rotating figure of the sculpture Worker and Kolkhoz Woman for the Mosfilm studio (Russian Federation Certificate No. 361937), the color trademark – red color (Russian Federation Certificate No. 560598) and others.
There is often a question about the differences between the trademark, the brand and the logo.
These terms should be distinguished:
The trademark is a legal concept codified by Russian laws and regulations.
The trademark is a literal translation of the word “trademark” from English.
The brand is a broader concept that usually includes a registered trademark, as well as a specific image, a set of information that consumers associate with a product or service. The brand is meant to be a quality guarantee for consumers.
The logo is a graphic image that, once registered, becomes a trademark.
Prior to the trademark registration procedure we always strongly recommend making a search — checking the applied symbol for the presence of similar, previously registered trademarks. This search will help the client avoid unnecessary financial and time outlays.