A wordmark protects the name itself. Not the font, not the colour, not the layout - the word. Change the typeface, put it on a different background, write it in a different colour, and the protection follows. That is why, when a business can only afford one filing, the wordmark is almost always the one to make.
Starting at
₹1,999 per class onwards
Wordmark
Any business registering a brand name
Timeline
Application number within 24 hours
A wordmark is the word or words in plain form, and protection covers the word however it is represented. A device mark, often called a logo mark, is a specific graphic representation, and protection is tied to that representation - a competitor using the same word in a visually different treatment may fall outside it. A composite mark is word and device together as one mark, and protection attaches to the combination, which is narrower than either element separately.
TL;DR
Rebrand the visual identity, which most businesses do every few years, and a device registration protects the old logo while the new one goes unprotected. The wordmark carries through. Enforcement is simpler too - against a competitor using your brand name in their own typeface, a wordmark puts the question squarely on the word. The one case for filing the device first is where the name is inherently weak, descriptive or generic, and the distinctiveness genuinely sits in the graphic.
Nice Classification
The 45-class system: classes 1 to 34 for goods, 35 to 45 for services. Registration is class-specific.
Specification
The description of goods or services within a class. Drafted too widely it attracts objections and oppositions; too narrowly it leaves gaps.
Acquired distinctiveness
A descriptive mark can still be registered on evidence of substantial documented use, but it is the long route.
Phonetic equivalents
What the examiner searches. A clearance search has to cover them, not just identical spellings.
Section 9 refuses marks that lack distinctive character, describe the goods, or have become customary in the trade.
File in the class covering what you actually sell, and in the classes covering what you will sell within the next few years.
A search before filing costs nothing but time and is the highest-return step in the process.
01
The register for identical and similar marks in the relevant and adjacent classes, including phonetic equivalents, plus common law use in the market.
02
Class selection for what you sell now and within the next few years, with a specification drafted to be defensible rather than merely wide.
03
With Form TM-48 power of attorney. Application number within 24 hours, and you can use the ™ symbol from filing.
04
Reply to any examination report within 30 days, hearing representation where scheduled, then journal publication and the four-month opposition window.
Upload via our secure portal. We pre-check every scan before filing - cuts portal rejections by ~90%.
Still unsure if Wordmark is right for your case? Book a free 20-minute consult - a senior CA / CS will walk you through your specifics.
Still have questions?
Book a free 20-minute consult with a senior partner - we'll walk through your case and outline next steps.
Talk to a partner →A senior CA / CS will get on a call with you, confirm scope and start the work - usually within 24 hours.
