A trademark is a sign or symbol used by a person in the course of business to identify his particular goods or services as distinct form that other traders.

It must be represented graphically in the form of a letter, word, name, signature, numeral, device brand, label, ticket, shape, color packaging or a combination of all as stated.

Trademark registration gives you rights to control the use of a particular symbol

If your trademark application is in order, and there are no objections from the registrar, it will take approximately 4 to 6 months for the registration to be processed.

Your trademark registration is valid for 10 years and indefinitely, with subsequent renewals provided the mark is used properly.

No, registering your trademark in Singapore does not entail protection overseas.

For protection beyond Singapore, you will need to apply to the appropriate authority in the country in which you want trademark protection.

Alternatively, you may apply via the Madrid protocol, and you will get protection in countries which are party to the protocol.

It is not imperative to apply for a trademark in Singapore before seeking protection overseas. However, in order to file an international application under the Madrid Protocol, you should register the trademark in the country of origin.

There are a total of 34 classes of goods and 11 classes of services.

• Class 1 – 34 are for goods
• Class 34- 45 are for services

You must make sure you classify the goods or services in the correct class or classes.

A registered trademark confers on the owner the right to prevent others from using it in Singapore as a trademark without the owner’s permission.