Trade Marks
What is a Trade Mark?
A trade mark is any sign capable of being represented graphically that differentiates your products and services from those of another party. Trade marks include words, logos, slogans and the get-up of an undertaking. In addition to these, colours, shapes and even smells have been used in the past as trade marks. Examples of well known trade marks include the word Nike ® and the Nike "swoosh" logo.
In many ways, your trademark can be your most valuable asset and it is imperative that you protect it. Your trade mark allows your customers to identify your goods or services from those of your competitors and make the all-important repeat purchases. By registering your trade mark, you obtain exclusive rights in that trade mark and you can prevent others from using the trade mark. There is effectively no limit to how long a trade mark can last and many of the most easily recognisable trade marks have been around for over a century.
At O’Connor Intellectual Property, we can advise you on the suitability of your trade mark as well as the most cost effective strategy to protect your trade mark in Ireland, Europe or around the World. We can carry out searches to see whether there are any trade marks that are likely to conflict with yours and guide your trade mark through the application process all the way to registration.