Do you know what a slogan is? If not, then you are at the right spot. In this blog, you will come across the phenomenon of slogan and why you should register a trademark for a slogan. It is a tagline specifically created for the brand that should be memorable and catchy for the target audience. Such a line is used to advertise the brand image, campaign, particular product, or idea. The purpose of a tagline is to represent the brand name ideas that may have a slight distinction between the definition and purpose of the slogan.
Let’s take the example of powerful slogans:
- Can stand alone
- Timeless
- Short and sharp
Reasons to Register A Trademark For Slogans
The Slogan Is Used to Convey The Brand Idea
Your slogan is associated with your brand image. It should be stamped in the mind of consumers unforgettably. The powerful slogan will help you stand out from the crowd of the market to communicate the brand message. Consider it a valuable asset for your business identity to present to the target audiences.
To Get the Legal Right To Use The Slogan
It is mandatory to get the full right of using slogans to register it. Get the exclusive rights to use the particular tagline or phrase for the business benefit. Therefore, not every slogan is eligible for the trademark, only the unique and distinctive one can be registered for trademark. It means that the words or lines that are general cannot be approved unless you make them creative. That makes your slogan unique; find the criteria that make your slogan eligible to register the trademark:
It should not be descriptive the slogan of the brand is descriptive like it explains the product and services are less likely to register. For example, “the best consultant in town”. Then in that case it would less likely to be accepted.
Should not visible the characteristics of your business: for example, the fastest way to transfer your money.
Make it unique: the slogans that are creative enough are more likely for the approval of a trademark.
Usually, a slogan should be created to distinguish your product from the crowd of competitors.
It should not be short: if you choose a word for the slogan then they are not eligible to register like money and reimagined. Meanwhile, for retail businesses some words are allowed to be used for advertising but not for trademarks like low prices, unbelievable value, not paying more, etc.
How to Improve the Approval Chances for Slogan
There are some ways you can follow while creating the brand slogan that will help you to approve the trademark registration. Your slogan or phrase should have the ability to communicate the brand values and messages to the target audience. It should be creative, innovative and memorable enough that can be presented to the registration office. You need to be stamped in the mind of your customers to connect with your brand directly.
Trademark A Slogan
If you want to know “How to trademark a slogan” then find the steps below:
- The first step is to create an innovative and amazing slogan that has all the abilities to be successful for a longer period of time. It must be timeless so that it would be effective after decades also.
- Another step is to determine the business element you want to apply for a trademark like you can apply for a logo, words, and slogan.
- Make an appropriate research to make sure that the slogan is not being already used by someone else in the industry. If yes, then change it. You can read the above mentioned tips and more tips on comto make your slogan successful within no time.
- Apply for the application to register; there are two types of applications that can be selected. The one is for if your slogan is already in use, the other one if you want to use the slogan in the future. Both applications have different patterns and requirements for documents. You can hire an attorney to fill the application with no flaws so that you won’t face more problems.
- Submit an application and wait for the response.
- If the response is in terms of additional review then submit the revised application within the specified time period. If it comes in approval form then enjoy it.
Limitations of Trademarking a Slogan
Functionality Limitation
The possibility of a trademark is limitless but some things stop the process of trademarking. Let’s take an example of a water bottle; the bottle that is designed to enhance the usability of the bottle will be less likely to be registered. The purpose of this limitation is to limit the competition by pursuing trademark rights against a competitor.
Geographical Limitation
It matters a lot for geographical purposes; if the trademark is registered in a specific country then it will be useful only there. For example, if the business logo is registered in the US then the perks can be enjoyed under that territory, not outside the boundary.
Import Limitation
Businesses are expanded globally; goods can be sold in different countries, with different pricing and packaging in your country. For example, someone else buys your products in another country and imports them in the US to sell in the same market as yours with different names so that you are not allowed to claim a trademark. But yes if the seller is unregistered in his country then you can claim legal rights and stop the import
Wrap Up
In this competitive world, it is essential to secure the business elements. Trademarks are the best way to make them intellectual property so that no one can steal your identity. Invest your time and efforts to make your business elements innovative so that they can be trademarked. Be mindful of the limitations of the trademark before going to register, so that you can handle it according to the plans. Like trademarks are country-specific, if you want to expand your business in other countries so apply for trademarks in all those countries to avoid serious mishaps.
