By 2017, it will take only one month to register a trade mark

“By 2017, it will take only one month to register a trade mark”, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The process will be made online.

The Cabinet has approved a new policy on intellectual property rights (IPR). The copyright policy, which was with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, will now be with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

Music, industrial drawings, etc, will now also be covered by copyright, which was earlier only for books.

A trademark is generally referred to as a “brand” or “logo”. A trademark can be a word, symbol, logo, brand name, wrapper, packaging labels, tagline or a combination of these and are used by manufacturers or merchants or service providers to identify their own goods and/or services. It is used to distinguish the owners’ goods or services from those of its competitors and is something that will be distinctive of just one trader. Properly used and promoted, a Trademark may become the most valuable asset of a business.

How long does it take to register a trademark?

Trademark Registration is a lengthy process and at present it takes around 18-24 months to obtain registration in a straight-forward case, without any objections or oppositions. However, the trademark application number is usually issued within one or 2 days after filing.