Types of Trademark in India

 

The Trademark Act, 1999, allows you to register several types of trademarks. Therefore, before you go for Online Trademark Registration, do thorough research about the types of trademark in India.

Above all, to avoid infringement, search for the marks on the official website of the trademark authority.

Here is a list of different types of trademarks:

Word Marks

It is the most common type of trademark that are registers in India. To clarify, they relate to any word used to classify the products and services of a company.

In other words, if the brand name of your product or service is only text, then it will register below Word Marks.

For Example - The word Nestle® is a Word-Mark.

Service Marks

Service Mark represents the service of a company or business in which they deal. Therefore, they distinguish different services in the market and register under the trademark class 35-45.

For example - FedEx describe their service as a courier delivery provider.

Logos and Symbols

A logo is a painted pattern/picture/figure. However, you have to register the wordmark under both word mark and logo mark if you use it as a logo.

Above all, you can register it by a single application in India.

For example - Apple uses its registered apple fruit symbol on each of its products.

Shape of Goods

The shape of a product is classified also has to be trademarked to avoid infringement sometimes. Therefore, the product also distinguishes based on its packaging. 

For example - The Coca-Cola drink is also known for the shape of its bottle as they have registered the shape of the bottle so that no one can copy it.

Series Marks

The trademarks having the same syllable, prefix or suffix are series marks. Moreover, they indicate that all of them belong to a particular brand. Above all, they vary only by non-distinctive aspects such as goods, price, quality or size.

For example- McDonald uses MC registered as a wordmark with all their product range such as Mcpuff, Mccafe etc.

Collective Trademarks

The marks that link with a group of people are collective marks. Above all, only a single organization owns it. However, all the organization members can use it to indicate they are part of one organization.

They are mostly the title that indicates the source of services or products by an individual.

For Example - A chartered accountant uses the “CA" mark as they are a registered member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Certification Mark

The certification mark shows a specific feature proof that the company has met. It indicates the public of the quality of goods or services provided by the trader. Moreover, it guarantees that the owner has good quality of products certified by the quality assurance authority.

Certification marks define the quality of goods and services.

For Example - FSSAI - Certification assures the customers about the quality of packaged food.

Geographical Indicators

A geographical indication trademark shows the different nature, character and features the products possess by their origin place.

You have to apply for a Geographical indicator with the GI Registry. Besides, it is given to natural, agricultural or handicraft products if they are only from a specific geographical region.

For Example, - Assam Tea is a GI under the Intellectual Property Rights.

Conclusion

Apart from these the trademarks are also classified into three types of trademark in India such as: Descriptive, generic and suggestive. But the above description is a more detailed one divided into sub-category that will help you understand better about trademark classification.