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No. You are legally responsible for making sure your future trademark is not already taken by someone else. The Office accepts no responsibility. If you fail to carry out a prior art search before filing a trademark application, there is a risk that prior rights holders may take action against you…

Yes. But an unregistered trademark does not enjoy the same legal protections, meaning that it will not be officially published and you will be unable to take legal action for infringement against third parties who reproduce or imitate it. Nor will you be able to extend its protection with partner…

The three types of marks are explained here.

An individual mark is intended to distinguish the goods or services of a particular business (single commercial source) from those of its competitors. A collective mark is intended to distinguish the goods or services of those permitted to use it under its rules of use. Applications to register…

The cost of filing a trademark varies according to the number of classes claimed. To find out how much trademark registration formalities cost, refer to the section: Fees.

The registration authority will make a decision a minimum of one month and one day, and a maximum of three months after the filing date.

No. A trademark cannot be changed after the registration application is filed. If your trademark changes, you will need to register the new form in order to protect it.

A class is a list of goods or services in a particular category or area of economic activity. Goods and services are arranged into 45 classes under what is known as the Nice Classification.

After filing an application in one country (the “priority application”), an applicant then has the right to claim priority and file an identical application for the same trademark in another country for a period of six months. If someone else attempts to file a conflicting trademark in that second…

Yes. In this case, the mark must be reproduced in colour. If it includes one or more colours, the name of the colour used should be given. If the mark only features one colour or combination of colours (known as a “colour mark”), both the colour’s name and international code (shade) should be…