Trademark

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Trademark

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a way of identifying your products and services. Upon seeing your trademark, the general public is able to distinguish your products or services and those belonging to your competitors on the market.

There different forms of trademark. It can perfectly constitute a trademark a combination of letters, words, sounds or designs abbreviations, combinations of figures, slogans, images, shapes and colors, or even sound bites, the possibilities are almost limitless.

A trademark is important to your company because over time, a trademark comes to stand not only for the actual goods and services you sell, but also for your company’s reputation and brand.

What is the benefit of the trademark registration provide me?

Although it is not mandatory to register your trademark in order to use it, a trademark registration adds great value to your business.

A trademark can be your most valuable marketing tool. Your trademark is your identity – the way you show your customers who you are. The more successful your business, the more valuable your trademark becomes.

A trademark registration will confer you an exclusive right to the use of your registered trademark. This implies that the trademark can be exclusively used by you its owner, or you licensed to another party for use in return for payment.

Some key benefits of trademark registration:

As an owner the trademark, you have the right to prevent others from using a similar or identical trademark without your permission once your trademark is registered.
Generates a rightful perception among public about the authentic ownership and quality of the product.
Prevents others to copy and use your trademark, as the owner of a registered trademark you can sue and collect damages from organizations that infringe upon the trademark.
Registration provides you legal certainty and reinforces your position as the right holder, for example, in case of litigation.
A trademark registration decreases the likelihood of another party claiming that your trademark infringes upon their trademark.

What kinds of trademarks can be registered?

A word or a combination of words, letters, and numerals can perfectly constitute a trademark.

Trademarks may also consist of drawings, symbols, three-dimensional features such as the shape and packaging of goods, non-visible signs such as sounds or fragrances, used as distinguishing features- the possibilities of kinds of trademarks are almost limitless.

You can trademark many of the things that you use to distinguish your business from other businesses. You might have a trademark for example for:

Your business name
A product name
Your logo or label
A product package

How long does trademark protection last?

Unlike patents, trademarks do not expire after a set term of years. A trademark registration can last forever- so long as you file specific documents and you pay fees at regular intervals.

In the Kingdom of Bahrain, your trademark protection lasts for 10 years from its filing date and you can renew your trademark registration 12 months before your renewal is due, or up to six months after.

How can I protect my trademark?

At the national level, trademark protection can be obtained through registration, by submit an application for registration to the Trademark Office at the Industrial Property Directorate and paying the required fees.

The Industrial Property Directorate is the government body responsible for granting Intellectual Property rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Industrial Property Directorate can be contacted:

Trademarks Office

Industrial Property Directorate

P.O. Box 5479 Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Contact Numbers:(+973) 17574735 – (+973) 17574830 – (+973) 17574839

Email:ip@moic.gov.bh

If you would like trademark protection outside Kingdom of Bahrain, you have two options: either you can file a trademark office of each country in which you are seeking protection, or you can use WIPO’s Madrid System.