Trademarks are used all throughout businesses to ensure competitors cannot copy parts of a business. Trademarks are important to ensure you can distinguish between your business and others, basically, it is used to differentiate yourself. It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is, it is important that certain aspects of your business are trademarked, so others can’t copy.
There are a number of things within a business you can and should trademark, like your logo, business name, things like that. Something that is becoming more of a problem these days is related to domain name trademark infringement cases, so it is a good idea to trademark your domain name properly.
There is a process you have to go through when trademarking something within your business. It isn’t that complicated, but you have to ensure it is done properly to your trademark is approved. Have a read on below for more information about how to apply for a trademark in Australia:
Before Submitting Your Application
There are a few things that you should know and be prepared for before you apply for your trademark. Firstly, there are different types of trademarks available, so it is important that you know which one you are going to apply for.
You can only make minor changes to your trademark once it has been submitted, so it is a good idea to properly understand the classes of the goods and services you are registering for. It is also a good idea to think about where you want to take your business in the future, things like a global IP need to be considered.
Also, it is important to check to see if there are other similar trademarks because if there are already existing similar trademarks, it is likely that yours will be rejected. You don’t want to go through all this process only to find out there is a similar trademark already active!
Information Needed For Your Application
There are a few pieces of information that need to be included in your application. Firstly, the basics, you need to ensure that your name and business details are correct, as well as your contact details. Your address will need to be an Australian or New Zealand location.
Other things that need to be included in your application include a depiction of the trademark (there are specific image requirements for this, so make sure you check this before submitting your application). You will also need to supply a detailed description of the goods or services that this trademark will apply to as well as a list of all the relevant classes and the fee.
Submitting Your Application
The process of actually submitting your application isn’t a long one (if you have all the information handy), but the good news is that you don’t have to do it all in one go if you need to stop mid-way through for any reason. You can save your application at any time and come back to it later. So, if you have all the details listed in the section above then you can start to submit your application.
When submitting your online application you will need to pay the filing application fee, which can be done by credit card and other common payment methods. The application itself should only take about 15 minutes, as long as you have all the information ready to go.
It is important to remember to save as you go because if you have been inactive for more than one hour your session will time out. Another important note is that you will need to have JavaScript and cookies enabled on your browser, otherwise the application may not load properly.