Registration of a trademark: application, cost, terms and procedure

In Russia, registration of a trademark is governed by special law No. 3520-1 of September 23, 1992. The procedure is carried out by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks (hereinafter referred to as the authorized body). Previously, this function was performed by Rospatent. In this article we will consider how this procedure is carried out.

general information

Conducting business with an authorized body is carried out independently or through an attorney. For Russians permanently residing abroad, or foreign citizens, cases are conducted only through attorneys. Registration of a trademark takes place in several stages:

1. Preparation of the application.
2. Her filing for registration.
3. Reviewing the question.
4. Directly registration itself.

When considering an application, a formal and expert examination of the designation is carried out, after which the question of whether to register or refuse to conduct the procedure is decided. Let us dwell on each step in more detail.

Preparation of the application

This stage is conducted in accordance with special rules approved by the order of Rospatent on March 23, 2003. According to this document, the application for registration of a trademark includes information:

• An application for registration, indicating the information of the applicant himself, his place of registration and actual residence;
• Designation;
• The list of goods for which the procedure is requested: they must be grouped according to the relevant International Classification (ICGS);
• description.

The last paragraph should explain what the essence of the designation and the parameters of its identification consist of. The characteristic includes the form, the indication of the components, the meaning as a whole and the individual parts.

1. With a verbal designation that does not have a semantic load, it is necessary to indicate how it was invented. If it is used in Russian rarely, then you need to specify what it means. If the name is presented in a foreign language, transliteration of the Russian alphabet, and also translation, the meaning of the word in Russian (if available) should be provided.
2. With a pictorial designation - full or partial - also indicates the meaning, if any. If some abstraction is implied, symbolism should be explained.
3. In the presence of a light design, these signals are characterized and described, their duration and all other features.
4. In the presence of sound, sounds, frequency diagrams with corresponding phonograms are described.

In addition to the application, a receipt is attached on the payment of the state duty and the charter of the collective mark. Then the package of documents is submitted, considered and registered for the trademark. The cost of the procedure for today is 8,500 rubles + 1,500 rubles for the class of the ICGS, which exceeds the first.

Filing an application

The package of documents is submitted in person or can be sent by post. In addition, the application is submitted by fax, but with the provision of the original documents in the future. The paper is sent in duplicate.

But the image designation is served in five copies. If it assumes different colors, except black and white, five color and the same black and white images should be presented. For other documents, one copy is enough.

When the application is received by the authorized body, it is awarded a 10-digit number, where the first 4 digits represent the year, the 5th number represents the industrial property code, and the rest - the serial number. The applicant is notified of this fact. It is no longer possible to return it.

A priority

At the next stage, when the application is considered, priority is given first. Thus, a convention priority is established if it is filed within six months after the first application of a State party to the Paris Convention.

If the trademark is placed on an official exhibition held in one of the member states of the Paris Convention, then within half a year from the opening day the exhibition priority is set. In the latter case, the applicant must:

• Indicate this fact when submitting an application or upon its admission to the Patent Office within 2 months;
• Attach documents that confirm the legality of this requirement, or submit them to the authorized body within 3 months.

A separate application can also take place. It is served on the basis of another, presented earlier. Such an application is registered at the date when the original document was filed, in case it was not withdrawn. The allotted application must be submitted even for that variant of the development of events if a dispute arises over the list of goods in respect of which registration of the trademark is made.

Then you can get a certificate for other goods. And about those who are in dispute, the question will be decided later. Also, the priority may be the international registration of a trademark, conducted on the basis of agreements between Russia and other countries.

Formal expertise

This type of examination, the second name of which is "preliminary", is done within a month from the date of submission of documents. At this time, the availability of all documents, their content and compliance with the requirements established by law is checked. Based on its results, the issue of accepting or refusing the application is decided.

Expertise of designation

Verification of the claimed designation takes place after a formal examination. Then the application is considered for compliance with Law No. 3520-1. Thus, the probability of identification, the ability to protect, the identity and similarity with other trademarks is determined. Examination is carried out in accordance with the Rules, which were approved by Order of Rospatent No. 32 of March 5, 2003.

Decision-making

Even before the decision is taken, the applicant is notified of the result of the audit. Together with him, it is proposed to give reasons for the reasons given in the notice. This will also be taken into account when a decision is made. However, the arguments must be submitted no later than six months from the time the applicant received the referral. State registration of the right to a trademark and the corresponding decision may be reviewed by the authorized body in the following cases:

• If an application with an earlier priority is received for a trademark for similar products;
• Their name of the designation of the place of passage is similar to the one declared;
• A document with the same trademark was identified;
• The applicant's application was submitted and approved of the changes that led to the possibility of misleading the consumer.

Registration of a trademark

If the examination of the claimed designation was completed successfully, it remains to pay the state duty. At present, the state registration of a trademark costs 10,000 rubles. A collective mark and a certificate for it will cost 15,000 rubles. If the receipt for payment of the state duty is not provided, then the application is withdrawn.

The certificate is issued by the authorized body within a month from the date when the trademark was registered (in Rospatent such services were rendered earlier, now FIPS is engaged in this).

Information that relates to this procedure and is entered in the Register is published within six months by the authorized body in a special publication - the bulletin.

So, we considered what a procedure is like registration of a trademark (in Rospatent or in FIPS - it is not important). And during what period can I use a patent? It is valid for ten years. It should be remembered that the countdown is counted from the moment of filing the application, and not from the date of receipt of the certificate. The term of registration of a trademark, however, can be extended on the basis of a statement by the rightholder alone. Such a document can be submitted every ten years.

Normative base

The following regulatory legal acts are the documents that guide the registration process.

1. Law No. 3520-1 of September 23, 1992.
2. The rules, which were approved by Rospatent, No. 32 of March 5, 2003.
3. ICGS.

Without the assistance of specialists

If it is decided that an independent registration of the trademark will be carried out, the owner should be aware that for its implementation it is necessary to be able to answer a whole series of questions. We list them:

1. Can the designation be registered as a trademark?
2. Who will own the rights to it? The right holder may be an IP or a legal entity.
3. What exactly is included in the list of goods or services? (The list is drawn up according to the ICGS).

Next, a number of actions should be taken.

First, it is necessary to carry out an identity test with the notations and signs registered to the present moment. They must be original, not like those that are already in use. With the use of specialized databases for this work can take about 3-5 days.

Secondly, we need to determine how to register, given the similar designations and possibilities for manufacturing counterfeit products.

Thirdly, pay the state fee for filing documents, and then for the examination.

Fourthly, if you are refused registration, make a motivated answer.

Fifth, pay the state duty for issuing a certificate.

Help of specialists

Self-registration of a trademark - the procedure is quite permissible, but complex. Therefore, many companies prefer to seek help from specialized organizations. Specialists offer the following services:

• Conduct detailed consultations;
• Analyze the situation and, if necessary, bring the activity in line with the international classifier;
• Prepare all documents and submit an application;
• Independently conduct a dialogue with experts.

In addition, assistance in protecting the trademark from unfair competition can be provided . If it is decided to apply to a specialized company, it is first necessary to make inquiries about it. If the organization has a wealth of experience, this will significantly protect your business project. After all, novice patent attorneys and lawyers may not bring the matter to a positive result.
In a proven organization, apart from safety, it will be saved up to 3 weeks time. They have a high reputation of their own. Therefore, the staff will do everything they can, and the chances for the success of the event will increase significantly.

International registration of a trademark

Documents can be submitted, for example, under the procedure of the Madrid Protocol and the Agreement. Such a system has several advantages. Consider them.

1. One application can be submitted for all countries where registration of a trademark is required.
2. The cost for the applicant will be significantly reduced (before the payment of attorneys' fees and the international fee).
3. In the future, there is the possibility of including other countries, for which it will only be necessary to pay a fee.
4. There is a simplified scheme for extending or amending the registration. It is that the statement is the same for different actions.
5. The period for considering this type of registration is about eighteen months.

How is it produced?

Let us briefly consider the procedure for registration of a trademark in Russia.

1. The application is submitted to the WIPO MB through the Patent Office of Russia.
2. Depending on the countries for which registration is required, the document is submitted in the form of a basic or national application.
3. After it is received, an examination is conducted to determine whether the goods of the International Classification are in compliance, registration activities are being carried out, and the owner is given the appropriate certificate.
4. Further, the relevant documents are sent to the national departments of the countries for which it was requested, and there is already an examination for compliance with national legislation.
5. After this, a decision is made to grant registration or refuse it.
6. If the decision is negative, the WIPO MB shall make the necessary entries about the failures and forward them to the owner. If there is no answer to the deadline specified in the document from the Country, the international registration is recognized as valid.