Trademarks – what you need to know about them?

The trademarks or logos are unique signs that distinguish your goods and services from your competitors’. Your customers know your goods/services through your trademark, you can use it in advertisements, and it orientates your customers that the goods/services have the promised quality. But not only that, the trademarks serve to protect you from free rider competitors, who want to benefit from the recognition of your products and services without making the same investments.

What can a trademark include?

Trademarks might be distinguishable words, names, letters, numbers, artistic drawings, figures, shape of goods or packages, specific and recognizable colors, sounds or combinations of the above.

Everyone can have a trademark –  natural person, firm, two or more persons/firms. It might be disposed to other persons against remuneration, or it could be used only by the owners.

In order to take advantage of the rights and the protection that Trademarks give you, you need to register your trademarks with the relevant authority.

How to register a trademark?

To register a trademark, you need to consider first what Nice classes of goods and services you want to use protection for (don’t worry we can help you out) and in which territory. You should verify whether the trademark you want to register has not been already registered by someone else.

Currently, it is possible to file application for registration of a Bulgarian trademark if you think to operate only within the territory of Bulgaria. For the whole European Union if you think to expand your business in more than one member of the EU, or you can file World trademark application for chosen by you countries that are members of the Madrid system.

The trademark registration process usually takes several months to be concluded, so you must be patient. Your application will go through verification process, publication, period in which other trademark owners might file oppositions and registration.

Do I really need to register a trademark?

Trademark owners have the right to use their trademark. To dispose them to third parties (usually against remuneration) and to restrict third parties of using their trademarks.

Trademark violations unfortunately are not a rare occasion. They are not happening only to the “big guys” in the business.

If you do not register your trademark, protection by competitors, that copy your products might be hard and no one will be able to guarantee you success. A trademark registration will provide you easier, faster, cheaper and more reliable protection against unfair competitors.

Who can help me with trademark registration in Bulgaria?

Legalla Ltd. is your trusted partner who can guide you through the confusing process of trademark registration. We can help you with registering a trademark before the Bulgarian Patent office for Bulgarian trademarks, EUIPO for Trademarks of the EU and the WIPO for world trademarks. Of course, we offer trademark verification process to understand whether the chosen trademark has not been already registered by someone else.

Not everyone is an artist, so if you need someone to help you prepare your trademark, you can always count on us. Reach out and our trusted logo designers will help you out. If you want more information about us, don’t think twice before contacting on LinkedIn.