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Wordmark

A wordmark known as a logotype is a distinct text-only typograph of the name of the company, institution or the name of the product for identification of the brand.

Some of the popular wordmarks are FedEx, Microsoft, IBM, Coco-Cola, Google and many more. It creates a visually clear and memorable identity and thus becomes a visual symbol of the organization or the product. A wordmark comes under the classification of trademarks and a company can create the brand identity using symbol, label, signature, name of the company, product/service, colours, three-dimensional marks or a device mark. And word marks have become prominent today in the era of entrepreneurship and startups and are considered by the Intellectual Property of India.

Registration

As a wordmark falls under the category of trademarks, it can be registered as an intangible asset for the ownership of the brand, it’s protection and prevention of its misuse. The Act and rules governing the procedure of registration and renewal is the Trade Marks Act, 1999 that has laid down specific facts, documents required and rules to adhere to in association to the wordmark. The Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks is authorized for issuing application forms for registration of wordmarks and follows the procedure to accept or reject the mark. And if opposed by the third party, it conducts the hearing from the parties involved.

The Application Form to register a wordmark is Form TM-A same as that for registering a symbol, numeral or logo of other type. It requires the applicant or the person assigned by him, to mention his/her basic details, type of organization(individual, company, partnership, or startup), address of service, details about the agent of the applicant(if any), specifications about the word mark which is required to be distinctive and not previously used by any other organization(s), mention about the class under which the wordmark is(to be selected from 45 classes), conditions and limitations, if any that the applicant desires to place on the wordmark prior registration.

After filling the above details accurately, the form should be duly verified, signed, dated and submitted through post or online prior to payment of fees as mentioned in the schedule. A wordmark shall take a period of 6 to 24 months to achieve the status of successful registration from the Trademarks Registry that tracks the various stages of registration of the wordmark.

Distinction between Wordmark and Trademark

To create brand value for an organization, product or service, it’s trademark plays a significant role, hence, designing a fitting and suitable logo, that is distinctive, attracts new customers, retains existing and is remembered for a longer period of time are various driving factors for a brand name that aims to achieve success and stability. A wordmark is suited when the name of the product, service or business is small. For ex: Ebay, Google, Amazon, Adani, Visa, Sony, ParleAgro. Whereas a symbol, numeral or pictorial image can be used when it clearly depicts the ideology of the business. For ex: LIC, Amul, Addidas, Twitter, Microsoft.

Many organizations have a tough task selecting a suitable trademark from its various categories. No matter what type of logo is assigned, it is important that it passes the criteria of distinct identity, attracts the eye, easy to remember and comprehend, matches with goal or vision of the business, and is not similar to that of the competitor’s mark.

Therefore, these points should be kept in mind while finalizing the trademark for an organization.