Background: Trademark registration helps businesses to protect their brand and build a strong your business identity. In their previous article Vakilsearch explained the concept of cost inflation index. In this article they explain about trademark registration for online businesses.

In the world of online business, Google and Facebook are pretty much the shopping district, billboard and telephone directory, all rolled up into one. Lose your identity there and you could find yourself losing business, too. Even very established online businesses, such as Shaadi.com and Bookmyshow.com, face such issues, despite their popularity, so smaller brands are even easier targets for brand pirates.

Why trademark registration

Many brands are losing business to impersonators. Grofers, for example, is facing competition from Groffrs; Bookmyshow from Bookmyoffer; Naukri from Naukrinews and Naukrie. Worse than losing business, they could also be losing their credibility. After all, if Groffrs doesn’t do a good job delivering a customer’s groceries, that customer is going to tell their friends that Groffers messed up their order.

Now, as all these businesses have applied for a or own a registered trademark for their respective brands, they can sue their impersonators, if they do not comply with their cease and desist letter. Without the registered trademark, no court would admit your complaint. Moreover, without the registered trademark, the court would be less inclined to believe that you’re the original owner of the brand.

Also read: Trademark your brand to safeguard your brand

No hassle at all

Perhaps the chance that your brand will be copied by another is small. But at the same time the cost involved in getting a trademark registered is so small, and with almost no hassle, that it would not make sense to go on without one. The government fees are just INR 4000 per application. Moreover, you only need to mention the date you started using the brand and provide the logo or brand name. Within three days, you can start using the trademark symbol beside your name.

Watch this video to learn about three terms you should know related to trademark.

Avail of a special offer by Vakilsearch on GlobalLinker to register your trademark at just ₹ 1,499*

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