3 Reasons to Register Your Trademark

In today’s competitive market, making your brand stand out among competitors is no easy task. Creating a brand identity in the modern consumer’s mind requires the right approach from your end. One of the many elements of brand identity is a trademark. The bitten apple that you see on a MacBook or the ‘M’ with golden arches that helps you spot a McDonald’s Drive-Thru are some classic examples. Trademarks like these have become synonymous with the brand and show how a brand becomes globally identifiable through a simple logo.

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is an identity mark that gives the brand recognition and distinguishes it from competitors. A trademark can either be a name, a phrase, a design, a logo, or even a sign. It could even be a combination of these, allowing creativity to its owner for having a unique brand and business identity. Trademarks reflect your brand message and can effectively touch upon your unique selling points.

What is Trademark Registration?

Like every asset, a trademark needs protection from unwarranted use and exploitation. Trademark registration is a legal process to protect your trademark against infringement and unauthorized use. In simple terms, the registrant gets the ownership of a trademark through registration.

Why Register Your Trademark?

1. To Prevent Filing of An Identical Trademark
   The UAE law does not guarantee protection to unregistered trademarks. If your trademark is not registered, you do not legally become its owner even if you have been using it for a long period of time. For instance, another party may file an application to register a trademark that is similar to yours. It may either be a coincidence or a case of fraudulent intent. In the latter scenario, proving bad faith on the other party’s end may help you succeed in getting their application rejected. However as mentioned before, no legal protection is guaranteed under the UAE law. Hence, you may not have sufficient grounds to stop the other party from registering the trademark. Though the law does not explicitly mention it, the first-to-file rule is usually given more precedence in the UAE over the ‘prior use’ doctrine.
2. To Protect Your Brand’s Identity
   When you start a business, you aspire to grow in the market and create a unique identity for your brand. This identity needs to be protected from unwarranted use, exploitation, and infringement. Imagine a scenario where your business has grown and has built a substantial customer base. A fraudster uses a similar or the same logo as yours to dupe innocent customers. By doing so, the fraudster infringing your trademark takes away your prospective customers. Moreover, if the fraudster provides substandard quality, you may not only lose out on business but also your customers’ faith, causing irreparable damage to your brand’s reputation. Registering a trademark protects your brand’s identity and even allows you to sue anyone infringing it. Thus, besides having a unique brand identity, you would be guaranteed of its protection.
3. To Add Value to Your Business
   Every business is launched with the ultimate purpose of growing over time. A business would want its brand to be associated with quality. A registered trademark adds value to your business since a registered brand is seen as a synonym of quality. A business with a registered trademark also shows a sense of professionalism and how they mean business. A business may also need to merge with another business or acquire other entities as part of trade deals. In this case, a registered brand would always appear to be a more fulfilling deal.A trademark is, in a nutshell, the complete identity of a brand. When a business grows and enters new avenues like a new market or territory, a registered trademark allows it to have a head start as it is already a recognized and identifiable brand. A trademark may thus act as something which becomes invaluable for any brand, its most worthy asset.

Hope we have emphasized enough on the importance of trademark registration. As a business owner, you must register your trademark to avoid possible infringement and the expensive legal battles that might follow. Legal Inz is a law firm offering services for trademark search and application filing with the Ministry of Economy. Get your trademark registered today through a cost-effective and hassle-free way with Legal Inz.