A Trademark is a brand or logo associated with the product. A properly used and promoted trademark helps the product to establish a brand image in the minds of the people.
It is very crucial to obtain trademark registration as it gives protection to the business entity against the other companies who might commence their activities using identical or similar marks. Trademark registration can also be obtained for a business name, distinctive catch phrases, taglines or captions.
The trademark once issued is valid for the time period of 10 years and after the completion of 10 years, the trademark issued get expired thus the trademark owner is required to get it renewed.
Following steps shall be taken to renew the trademark when it gets expired-
- Initially, the owner of the trademark is required to file TM-10 within 6months from the expiration and pay a specified amount of charges for renewal of the trademark.
- As soon the application made is accepted, the owner of the trademark is required to advertise the trademark in the trademark journal in order to inform the concerned about its restoration and invite objections from the people.
- In case there are no objections received within the specific timeframe, then the trademark is re-registered and enclosed within the trademark information. The trademark reregistered will again be valid just for the tenure of ten years.
Procedure for Trademark Renewal of Associate in Nursing terminated Trademark in India:
- In case the owner of the trademark does not make any application regarding the renewal of the trademark, minimum 1 month and maximum 3 months before the expiration of the last registration of the trademark, the Registrar himself could inform the businessman or his agent about the approaching expiration of the mark.
- In case the trademark owner or his agent fails to pay the prescribed trademark renewal fee before the expiration of the last registration of the trademark, then the Registrar is empowered to take away the mark from the register and advertise it within the official journal. However, the Registrar cannot take remove the mark from the register, if Associate in a Nursing application is filed by the trademark owner for payment of the renewal fee within six months of the expiration of the last registration of the trademark.
- In case no application regarding the renewal of trademark is filed within six months of the expiration of the last registration of the trademark, then the trademark expires.
- An application for the renewal of the trademark shall be filed within one year from the expiration of the last registration of the trademark. Further, the Registrar will consider the request for restoration of the terminated trademark scrutinizes the interest of differently affected persons.
- In case the terminated trademark is restored by the trademark owner, a notice will be sent by the Registrar to businessman concerning such restoration and therefore the same will be publicized within the Official Journal.
- Through the advertisement published in the journal regarding the restoration of the trademark, the Registrar invites the objection against restoration. In case no such objection is detected then the trademark is rehabilitated within the register for successive ten years.
- If any objection is raised, then the Registrar conducts the hearing and after hearing each the parties it passes a call on whether or not to revive the trademark or not.
- If someone else applies for registration of the terminated trademark, then the businessman needs to file Associate in nursing objection against the third party who has applied for registration of the terminated trademark.
Getting the trademark renewed helps the businessman to protect itself from duplicity and help them to maintain the exclusivity of their brand.