How to protect your Trade Mark!

September 30, 2011
Trade Mark News and Interesting Facts

What can I protect?

Trade Marks can be anything which is used in trade to distinguish your goods or services from the goods and services of others as long as it can be represented graphically.

Examples of  Trade Marks

words / names / logos / slogans / letters / container shapes / numerals / packaging / signatures

Trade Mark Requirements

1. The mark must be distinctive and not only describe the goods or services to which it relates
2. The mark may not be identical or confusingly similar to a trade mark which is already registered, applied for or used in South Africa in respect of the same or similar goods/services.

Step 1
Contact the trade mark attorneys at Smit & Van Wyk, Inc. regarding your intended trade mark registration at enquiries@svw.co.za, or complete the form below.
This is not an official booking, just a contact request.

Any information or images supplied will be protected under the attorney-client privilege with strict confidentiality, whether you decide to continue with the application or not.

Step 2
Our experienced trade mark attorneys will contact you regarding your intended trade mark.

Step 3
You supply our trade mark attorneys with the following information and documentation:

1. Applicant
   Full names and nationality
2. Trade mark: please send electronic copies of any logos.
3. Classes of interest
   Describe the goods and/or services for which the trade mark is to be protected
4. Physical and postal address of the applicant.
5. Entity to be invoiced and VAT registration number
   (if applicable)

Step 4
A possible trade mark search will be conducted to find similar or identical trademarks. It is not compulsory for a search to be conducted in order to file a trade mark application. However, a search is highly recommended for the following reasons:

1. The registration process can take up to three years to be completed. Rather be safe than sorry.
2. You could be infringing on another person’s trademark.

The costs of conducting a full trade mark availability search in respect of one trademark in any number of classes, inclusive of all fees, official expenses and VAT is:

1. Logo – R2850.00 per mark
2. Word mark – R2508.00 per mark

Step 5
Our trade mark attorneys will contact you regarding the outcome of the trademark search. We then assess the outcome of the search and will advise you whether to continue with the application or not.

Trademark Application Cost

The total costs of a trade mark application from filing up to registration (where no opposition is filed) is between R3500.00 and R4500.00 (VAT inclusive) per application, depending on the Registrar’s requirements.

The initial costs of preparing and filing a trade mark application, inclusive of all fees, official expenses and VAT is:

1. First Application
   R2813.00
2. Second onwards application
   R2585.00 per application

Feel free to contact us should you have any questions or require assistance with any trade mark related matter.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. PRICES ARE ONLY AN INDICATION. PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR A FORMAL QUOTATION.

Contact Details for Smit & Van Wyk:

Tel:
+27 (0) 12 349 7800

Fax:
+27 (0) 86 619 0493

E-mail:
enquiries@svw.co.za

Physical Address / Courier
Block A Apex Corporate Park
Quintin Brand Street
Persequor Technopark
Meiring Naudé Avenue
Pretoria
0184
South Africa

Image source: www.freedigitalphotos.net