A trademark is a symbol, a logo, or a combination of numbers and characters that an organization uses to claim ownership of a specific design or term to represent its services or products. Simply put, if you have a trademark for any symbol, logo, or combination of characters, the law says that you are the owner of that symbol or sign and that no one else can use it. It is a crime that can be punished if they do so. Register trademark with the government in order to be acquired. If a trademark is approved and registered in government records, it is considered valid.

Service marks, shape marks, product marks, collective marks, pattern marks, and sound marks are all examples of trademarks that can be registered. Even though there are many different kinds of trademarks, almost all of them serve the same purpose. The primary objective of the trademarks is to endorse the identified services and products of a specific manufacturer or service provider. As a result, you might be looking for information regarding trademark types. Consequently, in this blog post, we will provide information about various trademarks.

Product Mark

A product mark is a kind of trademark that can be used on anything, not just services. This trademark aids in maintaining a company’s or organization’s excellent reputation and is used to identify a product’s origin.

Because they represent goods or products, all trademark applications filed under trademark class 1-34 are categorized as product marks. A product mark must be registered within close to 18 to 24 months. Nestle and Amul are two examples of brand names for products.

Service Mark

The only difference between the service mark and the product mark is that the service mark is applied to any service, not a product. It applies to every non-product item. The primary goal of the service mark is to distinguish between the service’s owners and legal owners.

Taj Hotels and Akasa Airline, for instance, offer services rather than products to their clients. Because they represent non-product items like services, all trademark applications filed under trademark class 35-45 are referred to as service marks.

Collective Marks

It specific kinds of trademarks that belong to groups and associations. People are informed about the superior qualities of a service or product that is used to represent a collaboration by using a collective mark.

This kind of trademark can be used by anyone or a group of people to show that they are protecting a product or service together. A public organization, an association, or a Section 8 company are all examples of trademark holders in this category. The association that owns the trademark typically sets the standards or the products in this type of trademark.

Any other organizations or institutions that wish to adopt this collective mark must abide by certain guidelines established by the company that owns it. In India, the designation “Chartered Accountant” is a well-known collective mark.

Certification Mark

A certification mark is a kind of trademark that represents the origin of a product, the material it is made of, its quality, or any other particular information that the owner provides. This kind of trademark’s primary goal is to set standards for any good or product and provide a guarantee to customers.

By demonstrating that particular products have been subjected to a variety of tests and that the product the consumer is receiving is of a high quality, this kind of trademark can also be used to demonstrate the actual standards of any product. Shoes, clothing, toys, electronics, packaged foods, and certification marks are typically used. The ISO Mark and the ISI Mark are two examples of certification marks.

Shape Mark

A shape mark is a type of trademark that is used to protect the shape of a product or service so that customers can tell that the product is made by a certain manufacturer and only buy it from that location.

Any product’s shape cannot be registered unless it is acknowledged to be significant.  A Dairy Milk chocolate or a Pepsi bottle, for instance, have distinctive shapes that are associated with the brand.

Pattern Mark

A pattern mark is used to safeguard a particular product’s pattern. This kind of trademark is used by every company that makes certain products based on patterns. This prevents other companies from copying their patterns.

When a company or organization successfully demonstrates that their product is truly unique, they are granted a pattern mark. The fashion industry uses pattern mark the most. Pattern marks are given to products from well-known brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, and many others so that no other brand can imitate them.

Even a lot of individual fashion designers, like Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra, get pattern marks on their products so that no other brands can use their patterns without their permission.

Sound Mark

 This kind of sound mark is used by any organization or business to safeguard a specific tune or sound. When a company gets a sound mark for a song or sound, no one else can use that sound without the company’s permission, and if anyone still does, it’s a crime.

The magical IPL tune is India’s most well-known sound mark. The company must demonstrate originality in order to obtain a sound mark, and when people hear that sound, they should be able to quickly identify the product or service it is associated with.

These are some of the trademarks that people, businesses, organizations, and even individuals use to market their goods and services. If you want to apply for a trademark of any kind, you should talk to an attorney who specializes in trademark law.