How to Manage Your Trademark Registration Fees?

Introduction: A Trademark is a phrase, word, or design symbol that differentiates and identifies products and goods from one brand to another. Every brand owner should protect their brand from others or their competitors as we all are aware of what brand value means to every business owner. While setting up a business, a brand name, identity, and logo play a vital role because your brand mark and logo are one of the most important images your customers will have in their minds while entering into any business contract. A big brand connects to its customers with its logo or tagline.

Apart from everything, trademark registration is one of the most important registrations a brand should proceed with after setting up their businesses. There are many reasons why trademark registration is important for a business and it is not that if the brand has a trademark registered, the owner has no responsibilities. The owner of the brand should renew that trademark after some time. We will look into the trademark renewal process and every bit of it in this blog.

Before managing trademark registration fees let’s see 5 points about the advantages of trademark registration.

Brand Identity: Every business is always concerned about its brand image, reputation, goodwill and identity. Whether it’s a startup or another well-established business, Goodwill is something that always impacts a brand. Giving an identity to your business via a mark, tagline, or logo provides it with recognition, which creates an image of a brand in the minds of its customers, vendors, or any other party associated with the brand in any manner. For instance, you have established a brand over some time, and now your customers recognize your business through a logo. If your mark, tagline, or logo is not registered, then anyone, including your competitor, can apply a similar mark, which will ultimately hamper the brand drastically and affect its image in the market. Moreover, your business competitor can easily route all the business with the help of a registered trademark image that is similar to your unregistered trademark.

If a business offers its products or services under a registered trademark, then it always helps the brand build trust and goodwill in the minds of its consumers. Moreover, it helps you protect your brand.

Legal Protection: Having a registered trademark provides a privilege in the eyes of the law that you are the registered owner of the trademark and that you possess an exclusive right to use the trademark. Hence, in case of any infringement of your mark by any third party, we can help you file a legal suit against infringers. The law not only creates a restriction on infringers for further use of your registered mark, but it also helps you claim the damages caused to you, including punitive damages, fines, and attorneys’ fees. A registered trademark always acts as a legal shield for business identity.

Valuable Asset: Over the period as your business attains higher success and your brand name also creates value, a registered trademark can be proved to be one of the most valuable assets for your business as it can be franchised or sold, which helps your business earn more money.

Global Filing: If you have registered your trademark in your home country, then you can also get it registered in any other country where you have not previously conducted business. You can even file for a global trademark application from your home country.

Business Expansion: A registered trademark can help you with business expansion if you want to expand from one geographical area to another. Whether you are operating in your home country or taking your business abroad, your consumers, employees, or anyone else can recognize your business with your trademark image, logo, or slogan. It is always advisable to expand business in other countries as well when you have Trademark registration in India. A registered trademark will always help you access new markets easily. Customers used to believe the brand had trademark registration and that's true.

Now let’s dive into the Trademark registration fees in India:

Types of Trademark Application

Application Fees (Physical Filing)

Application Fees (E-Filing)

Trademark Registration for Individual/small enterprises/startups (FORM-TM A)

Rs.5,000/-

Rs. 4,500/-

Trademark registration for types of entities other than individual/startups/small enterprise

Rs.10,000/-

Rs. 9,000/-

Counter-statement for Trademark opposition (FORM TM-A)

Rs.3000/-

Rs. 2,700/-

If the amendment is required for any additional trademark class

Rs.1000/-

Rs. 900/-

Now let’s see how you can reduce the cost of your Trademark Registration:

Go for Online Process: The cost of online is much more affordable than filing offline. Offline or physically submitting the form charges more than online. If you want to file it physically, you have to file it in the concerned Trademark registry office, but if you go with the online process, you can connect with Online Legal India.

Choose your mark Carefully:

First, go through the Act and rules of trademark before applying or choosing the mark. If you go through the blog you will be very clear about the grounds on which your mark can be rejected. So, you can choose the mark accordingly. The mark that you are choosing should not have descriptive words, government symbols etc. If your mark contains all these, there are higher probability of rejection.

Choose the Trademark Class Carefully:

You should choose the trademark class very carefully depending upon the type of goods and services you are dealing with. You should describe the services and goods for which you are applying for trademark registration. If you provide the wrong class while applying for the trademark registration, it will get rejected.

If you have to amend the class, then it will require additional cost, so it’s better if you choose your trademark class carefully at the initial stage of the process.

Hire an Expert: Trademark registration might seem a bit complex for the layman, that's why it is always better to engage an expert to avail the services seamlessly and hassle-free. An expert can help you throughout the registration process and can guide you at the same time.

Conclusion: Last but not least, as I mentioned earlier trademark registration is very important to protect your brand from infringement. Now, the main thing that hits the mind is the trademark registration fees. In this detailed blog, we have discussed how you can minimize your Trademark Registration costs, if it seems difficult for you then you can contact Online Legal India for their expert assistance as they have vastly experienced experts and they are catering for their clients successfully across the nation.