I have a brand. How do I protect it?

Whether your business is a growing start-up or has recently undergone a rapid sprint branding process ( Brandfusion Booster ), the next step is to register and protect it in the territory where you operate.

If the branding process takes place internally, before to do any change, make sure that the brand name and the new identity are eligible for national registration (OSIM) on the classes of services and products your business activates. It is recommended that you do a detailed eligibility check and contact an intellectual property specialist.

One aspect that you need to consider at this stage is a future international expansion of your products and services, which require verification and brand protection at European level (EUIPO) or international (WIPO). Alternatively, you can only register the brand identity in the countries where you know exactly the brand will expand in the future.

It is recommended to register the brand identity in the form of a combined trademark, both the verbal expression of the brand (name) and its graphic expression (logo). To protect and reduce the chances of future opposition, it is advisable to include the main slogan or colors that you use in your identity. For cases where the new brand consists of a product or packaging design with unique and innovative elements, consider registering these elements as trademarks or patents.

Keep in mind that the registration process is a long one (there is a period of verification and waiting for possible oppositions), so it is recommended to take the registration steps as soon as possible, once you have your identity completed.

Protecting your brand is just the first step. Remember that a brand is truly differentiable when its products and services are connected to the brand values, and through communication and experiences offered to consumers, it becomes unique.

Originally published at https://www.brandfusion.ro.