Trademark Registration

Filing happens the same day you submit your application, and you can start using the ™ symbol immediately afterward. However, the complete journey to a registered mark — examination by a Trademark Officer, publication in the Trademark Journal for opposition, and final grant — typically takes 12 to 18 months if there are no objections or oppositions along the way. Some straightforward applications can be granted faster, while marks that face examination objections or third-party oppositions can take longer. We track your application status throughout and keep you updated at each stage.

You can register just your brand name without any logo — this is called a "word mark" and is often the smarter first move since it protects the name itself regardless of how you style it visually. If you also have a distinctive logo design, you can register that separately as a "device mark," which protects the specific visual design but not the name in other fonts or styles. Many businesses start with a word mark for the name and add a device mark for the logo later once the branding is finalized.

Trademarks in India are registered under one or more of 45 classes, each covering a category of goods or services (for example, Class 25 covers clothing, Class 42 covers software/IT services). Your protection only applies within the class(es) you register under — a clothing brand registering only in Class 25 has no rights to stop a software company using the same name in Class 42. Choosing the wrong class is one of the most common and costly mistakes in DIY trademark filing, since the government fee is non-refundable even if the class doesn't match your actual business. We determine the correct class based on your description of what products/services your brand covers.

After your application clears initial examination, it's published in the Trademark Journal for 4 months, during which anyone who believes your mark conflicts with their existing rights can file an opposition. If this happens, we draft and file a formal counter-statement defending your application, and the matter may proceed to a hearing before the Trademark Registry. Oppositions are relatively uncommon for genuinely distinctive marks but more likely if your name is similar to an existing registered brand — this is exactly why a proper trademark search before filing (which we conduct) is valuable.

The ₹999 is our professional fee, covering the trademark search, class determination, and application preparation — paid upfront. The ₹4,500 government filing fee is collected separately, right before final submission to the Trade Marks Registry, since this amount goes directly to the government and not to us. This structure lets you confirm everything looks correct (brand name, class, applicant details) before the government fee is paid and the application is actually filed.

Generally yes, since trademark protection is class-specific — "Apple" the fruit brand and "Apple" the electronics company can coexist because they operate in entirely different classes with no likely confusion. However, this gets more nuanced for "well-known marks" (extremely famous brands), which can sometimes claim broader protection across unrelated classes under Indian trademark law. We run a clearance search before filing to flag any genuine conflict risk specific to your proposed name.

You can use the ™ symbol as soon as you've filed your application — it signals that you're claiming trademark rights even before registration is finalized, and is a deterrent against others adopting a similar name. The ® symbol can only legally be used after your trademark is fully registered and granted by the Trade Marks Registry — using ® before actual grant is technically a misrepresentation. We'll notify you the moment your registration is granted so you can switch to ®.

Yes, a Class-3 DSC is required to digitally sign and file the trademark application with the Trade Marks Registry. If you don't already have one, we help arrange it — typically using your GST Certificate as supporting proof, or a Bank Statement if GST isn't available, or a simple Letterhead Declaration as a last resort (the format for which we'll share via WhatsApp). This is a one-time requirement and the same DSC can be reused for future filings.

Individuals, sole proprietors, partnership firms, LLPs, and companies can all apply for trademark registration — there's no requirement to be formally incorporated. If you're applying as an individual, we use your Aadhaar/PAN as identity proof instead of a Certificate of Incorporation. Many freelancers, consultants, and solo brand owners register their personal or business name as a trademark before incorporating a formal entity.

Your Indian trademark registration serves as the foundation for international expansion through the Madrid Protocol, an international treaty that lets you file a single application to seek protection across 130+ member countries, rather than filing separately in each country. India is a Madrid Protocol member, so once your domestic registration is in place, extending protection internationally becomes a streamlined process rather than starting from scratch in each jurisdiction — we can guide you through this when you're ready to expand.