From: Canadian Intellectual Property Office

Your brand is of value

Building a brand image is a very integral part of the marketing process. Everything which sets your business apart — its name, product and service names, slogans , logos, tags and even sound marks — produces a brand image that your customers have come to know.

If your brand is unique, it will keep your consumers loyal and give you the edge over your competition. In fact, your brand can become one of the most precious assets about your business as clients come to know it well over time. This interest will become so high that you can use it to facilitate loans with banks and other lending institutions.

Your trademark stands for your company.

Protecting your name and the goods and services it stands for is vital to your potential sales. Your trademark is an integral part of your name, and by licensing it you have the sole right to use it to advertise your goods and services.

Trademarks contain signs, words, logos, product and service names, slogans, etc. If you do not safeguard your trademark, a competitor might use it or something similar which might confuse your customers.

Five reasons for filing the trademark

1. It indicates that the brand is yours.
2. It grants you exclusive rights to use the trademark across Canada for a term of 10 years (and you can extend it indefinitely).
3. It forbids them from using a confusingly identical trademark.
4. It allows you to flag other people’s infringements.
5. It helps you license your trademark, so you’ll need to make money and increase the popularity of your brand.

How to register your trademark

See A Guide to Trademarks for details on how to apply for and register a trademark and to see what you can and cannot register. You can apply on your own or hire a trademark agent.

Search for existing trademarks

You ought to make sure that the signature is distinct from that of others. n If you have found a trademark that suits your business, the first step is to search the Canadian Trademark Database to find out if it is available. Do this before putting time , money and energy into a trademark which might not be accessible to be used in Canada.

The Canadian Trademarks Database shall include all active and inactive trademarks that have been applied for or registered under the existing trade-marks Act or former trade-mark laws. See the Support portion of the Website for a full summary of the content.

Learn how to do a search by visiting the Canadian Trademarks Database tutorial.

For more information, visit this website.