How To Register A Trademark In Singapore?

Singapore trademark registration is administered by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). The information capabilities of the office allow us to assess the degree of similarity of the registered mark with the objects of intellectual property previously registered in the territory of Singapore. To do this, you need to make a trademark search in Singapore in the automated Register of Intellectual Property Rights. A self-service trademark search in Singapore will allow you to avoid sudden refusals from the Office, which means you will save a lot of time and money.

So, how to register a trademark in Singapore? If the verification is successful, you can proceed to the registration. It consists of the following main stages:

• An application to the Singapore Office. You will need to attach to it:
  1. Description of registered trademark Singapore
  2. Clear graphic representation (if a 3D logo is registered, it is necessary to provide a medium allowing familiarization with all surfaces of this logo)
  3. List of goods and services that will be offered under the registered logo
  4. Information about the applicant, their full name, and company name if the property owner is a legal entity.
• An evaluation of the submitted documents for compliance with legal requirements (carried out within 15 days from the date of receipt of the application by the department). If the appeal is drawn up correctly, the application is accepted for further consideration, and a corresponding electronic notification is sent to the notifier.
• Consideration of the registration application and publication of the results in the electronic journal of the Office. Any copyright holder for a Trademark already registered in Singapore has the right to apply to the Bureau with a statement that the newly registered designation is similar to its logo. If there are no objections from other entrepreneurs, or all of them have been successfully refuted, the applicant is issued a certificate of registration in the territory of Singapore.

Trademark in Singapore is valid for ten years, after which the registration must be renewed.

The procedure can be accelerated if the trademark for which the documents are drawn up was previously registered in the territory of another country that has the status of a member of the WTO or the Paris Convention. Such applications are considered by the Singapore office first.

The Madrid Protocol can carry out registration in several foreign countries. This document allows you to file a registration application with the office of one country and register a trademark in several countries that are parties to the Madrid Protocol. This registration will reduce the time and material costs for paperwork and increase the efficiency of your work.

Brand and trademark differences

Trademark

In marketing, it is a set of specific properties, associations, and images that allow the product of a given brand to stand out from competitors in the market. The entire branding process begins with the creation of the Singapore trademark of the product. It represents a kind of starting point for all other actions.

At the same time, the product can be completely standardized and not differ in its characteristics from competing products. Trademark registration Singapore starts when you come up with a unique name for your product, develop a unique product design, create a corporate identity, or come up with a slogan. But the moment you created a brand name and designed your product, you gave it a specific image; this is how your brand was born.

A trademark indicates that such a trademark exists; it is the property of a particular person or company. Trademark registration Singapore allows one direct copyright holder. You can use a trademark search in Singapore to verify your trademark.

There are three options for registering a trademark: in the form of a verbal, pictorial, or combined (verbal + pictorial) trademark. Not every logo is a trademark. If you just drew a product logo but did not submit its image for registration, your trademark is not protected from copying.

Brand

The meaning of the word ‘brand’ practically does not differ from the definition of a trademark, except for one feature: the distinctive properties and images of the brand allow the product not only to differ from competitors but are recognizable, and the product itself enjoys a certain popularity among the target audience.

In other words, the brand is a well-known trademark that has won the attention and affection of the consumer. The difference between a brand and a trademark is that the consumer recognizes the elements of its corporate identity, brand name, and slogan. The brand has won the loyalty of a certain part of the market, and products under its logo are in demand.

A brand becomes a brand through marketing communication. A trademark becomes a brand when a consumer learns about it (in advertising, on a shelf in a store, from friends) and remembers it. It turns out that as soon as your brand acquired at least some knowledge, it became a brand, just very weak. The higher the brand awareness, the stronger the company’s brand.

How to register a brand?

Essentially, a brand and trademarks are the same, but with minor differences. Therefore, you need to follow the same steps to register a brand.

Significance of the brand to consumers

A brand is essential to the consumer for three main reasons: it reduces risk, provides increased purchase satisfaction, and simplifies the product selection process.

Reduced purchase risks

By buying well-known brands, the consumer risks less than purchasing goods from an unknown brand or manufacturer. The following types of risks are usually distinguished:

• Functional risks are that the action resulting from using an unknown product may not meet the consumer’s expectations.
• Physical risks. An unknown product can create discomfort for the consumer.
• Financial risks. The consumer will be disappointed if the purchased unknown product does not meet their expectations; besides, they will incur additional financial costs for the purchase of a new product.
• Social risks. The product can make it difficult to communicate with other people.
• Psychological risks. The consumer always wants to receive satisfaction from purchasing a product, both physical and emotional. When buying an unknown product, they risk being unsatisfied with the purchase and experiencing negative emotions.
• Risks of wasting time and the inability of the product to satisfy the need force the consumer to look for a replacement and incur additional costs for finding and purchasing a new product.

Given the variety of risks that a consumer can incur when buying an unknown brand of goods, the consumer prefers to buy well-known brands, about the properties of which they have seen advertisements, about which they know more information and, possibly, have a positive experience of use or recommendations.

Increased purchase satisfaction

A strong brand is a large bundle of associations and images. When buying a brand, the consumer satisfies their basic needs for the functional characteristics of the product and gets the opportunity to satisfy social and psychological needs.

Simplification of choice

A strong brand stands out among many products and reduces the time spent searching and purchasing the right product. In an era of highly developed mass markets and intense competition, the consumer experiences discomfort from a large number of new products. The well-known trademark allows the consumer to reduce the time of choosing at the shelf in the store.

Significance of the brand for companies

A company that has a strong brand has a competitive advantage over companies with unbranded products. It can get higher profits from sales; its sales are less prone to spikes. In addition, the brand becomes a certain barrier for new players to enter the industry. Use trademark search in Singapore to find and register a trademark.

• Profit growth. The main value of the brand for companies is the ability to increase the profitability of the company. By creating a strong brand, the company guarantees the consumer that they will reduce certain risks, provide them with a specific service, and create a sense of satisfaction. All these additions form an added value or markup to the price of a standard product. The stronger the brand, the higher the added value, the higher the company’s profit.
• Stability and durability. It is assumed that the brand has a sustainable advantage, which provides a long-term opportunity to collect added value for the purchase of the product, and therefore guarantees the stability of sales and profits. The long-term advantage is formed due to the unique properties of the product (which are sometimes easy to copy) and the relationship between the brand and the consumer, which is a more valuable asset of the company and is rather difficult to copy and destroy quickly.
• Barriers to entry into the industry. Strong brands in the segment are a high barrier for new companies wishing to enter the market, especially if the market is highly promising. Strong brands already have good knowledge and customer loyalty; new products will require a high level of investment to attract customers.

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