A trademark is any unique expression related to a product or service that distinguishes it from others. A trademark can be a visual symbol, which may be a word, a name, a device, label or numerals used by a business to distinguish it from other goods of different business.
It is your silent salesman, your legal umbrella, your asset to flaunt. Owners of trademarks have exclusive rights to use trademark under the categories they are registered in (there is a total of 45 categories, called classes). Only Trademarks that are registered under the Trademark Act, 1999 provides the trademark owner right to sue for damages when infringements of trademarks occur.
Trademark is a logo, brand name, product name, website name, word or punch line by which customers recognize or differentiate the products or services of one company from another.
Any Individual Person, Company, Trust, NGO, even Govt. agency can apply for Trademark.
Business name, product name, website domain name, brand name, logo or slogan can be trademarked.
A trademark is an intellectual property which is being assigned to a word or logo but on another hand, copyright assures you the protection for your unique content such as books, music, videos, songs or even software.
Company or domain registration will not protect your brand identity. To protect your company’s identity, you need to get trademark registration.
It is valid for a limited period of time i.e. for 10 years. But it is renewable indefinitely. You just need to pay the fee for trademark renewal every time.