Performing a Trade Mark search in India

A trade mark is a form of intellectual property which aids in distinguishing products or services amongst consumers. Indian law grants legal protection to trade marks upon their registration in the Trade Marks Registry. Though not mandatory, conducting a trade mark search is a crucial step before filing an application for registration, to assess whether your proposed trade mark is already registered by any other companies or individuals or not, or is similar to any other registered trade mark. If it is, you might not be able to register it! Even if you do not plan to register your own trade mark in India, it is useful to conduct a trade mark search to ensure you will not infringe on someone else’s rights by using your own unregistered logo or brand.