What can be registered as a Trademark

There are multiple things that can be registered as a Trademark.

• Product: A product mark is a product used to identify a single product. They are used to avoid any duplicity of the product and also to safeguard product categories.
• Service: A service mark is used to distinguish the services of an organisation rather than products. The service mark is used for intangible products.
• Shape: The shape marks can be categorised in Trade Dress wherein, other than the logo, label, and other identifiable symbols; a product can also be distinguished based on its packaging.
• Pattern: The general meaning of pattern is a repetition of similar design, so it is a type of trademark wherein the pattern is able to distinguish the product and services of one brand from another.
• Collective: Collective marks are linked with a group of people and not one single product or service. These kind of trademarks are primarily owned by a firm, institutes or any association that is related to several members.
• Certification: Certification mark is created to display the standard of a company or organisation i.e. it is to show that a trader’s goods or services are certified as meeting particular standards.
• Sound: Sound form of trademarks are the “mark” consist of sound graphics that distinguishes the products and services of one from the other. The notations of sound that are graphically represented can be registered as trademarks.
• Color: The colour combinations become the brand itself and become known by it for that particular product. The public tends to associate the scheme with the specific product.
• Word: A word mark is a distinct text of the name of the company/product name for the purpose of branding. Thus it is specifically text based unlike a logo that represents a pictorial image
• Numbers: The number must be used as a brand for the product/service. For e.g. 5 PM Coffee in which the number 5 is used specifically for a line/class of products/services and must be identified by it in order to obtain the TM.
• Device: A device is a printed/painted figure/design/character. They do not consist of any letters/words/numerals etc. Example a Mascot etc.
• Packaging: All the contents featured on top of the packaging, i.e. the names, slogans etc. can be trademarked. This can stop a competitor from using a deceivingly similar packaging for their product.