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Tuesday 8 March 2016

TRADE MARK AND COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION UNDER THE INDIAN PATENTS ACT 1970 AND THE INDIAN COPYRIGHT ACT 1957



Trademark

A trademark (popularly known as brand name) in layman’s language is a visual symbol which may be a  word signature, name, device, label, numerals or  combination of colors used by one undertaking on goods or services or other articles of commerce to distinguish it from other similar goods or services originating from a different undertaking.


Legal requirements to Register a Trademark under the Act
    
·       The selected mark should be capable of being represented graphically (that is in the paper form).

·         It should be capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking from those of others.

·         It should be used or proposed to be used mark in relation to goods or services for the purpose of indicating or so as to indicate a connection in the course of trade between the goods or services and some person have the right to use the mark with or without identity of that person.


Types of trademarks that may be registered in India

·      Any name, which is not unusual for trade to adopt as a mark.
·      An invented word or any arbitrary dictionary word or words, not being directly descriptive of the character or quality of the goods/service.
·      Letters or numerals or any combination thereof.
·      Devices, including fancy devices or symbols
·      Monograms
·      Combination of colors or even a single color in combination with a word or device
·      Shape of goods or their packaging
·      Marks constituting a 3- dimensional sign.
·      Sound marks when represented in conventional notation or described in words by being graphically represented.


                            Benefits of registering a Trade Mark:


-       Exclusive right to the owner to use the trademark registered in this name
-       In the event of infringement to seek relief in the appropriate courts
-  In the event of any registered identical or nearly similar marks due to special circumstances, such exclusive right does not operate against each other.


Office actions in processing the application for registering Trademark




Copyright

A copyright is a legal device that gives the creator of a literary, artistic, musical, or other creative work the sole right to publish and sell that work for a certain period of time.

In fact, it is a bundle of rights including, inter alia, rights of reproduction, communication to the public, adaptation and translation of the work.

Note: There could be slight variations in the composition of the rights depending on the work.
 
                                Registration of Copyright

-     Registration of copy right is not mandatory as Copyright comes into existence as soon as a work is created and no formality is required to be completed for acquiring copyright.

                             Purpose/ Benefits of registration

-     Certificate of registration of copyright and the entries made therein serve as prima facie evidence in a court of law with reference to dispute relating to ownership of copyright.
 
                                    Scope of protection

The Copyright Act protects:

-       original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works and cinematograph films and sound recordings from unauthorized uses.

-       the expressions and not the ideas. 


                                    Additional Information


·          Also, note that there is no copyright protection for ideas, procedures, methods of operation or mathematical concepts.

·          Further there is no patent for standalone software currently and only copyright shall continue