It may be the name of a product, the lyrics of a song, the composition of a drug or the technology to develop a piece of machinery. In all of these cases there are laws to protect your investment. The purpose of this overview is to provide you with a summary of the current law respecting the various forms of intellectual property and how you can safeguard your intellectual property rights. Following is a brief review of each of the above forms of intellectual property and the laws which govern them. It is different from a corporate name in that a corporate name is merely the title of the corporation whereas a trade-mark identifies the goods or services being offered.
Registration provides stronger protection and covers all of Canada.
The cost of registration of a trade-mark may be relatively small in comparison to the amount of money you spend on advertising or having a logo designed to distinguish your goods or services. The Trade-Marks Office issues notices prior to the renewal deadline. You must be careful to use your trade-mark properly and not to allow unauthorized parties to use it, or it may lose its distinctiveness. Once a trademark has become generic or ceases to distinguish the wares or services of its owners, it is no longer protected. In the United States, if you have a registered trade-mark you are required by law to mark it with an R in a circle.