Protect your brand

Protect your brand by filing a South African trademark for only R790.

Trademark rights

A registered trademark prevents competitors from using a "confusingly similar" mark in respect of similar goods / services.

For example, a trademark for RICOFFY should prevent others from using the names RICK'S COFFEE (phonetically similar). Conceptually similar words and translations into other local languages may also be covered.

A trademark can protect:

• Your word mark (e.g. OROS)
• Your logo (e.g. the Nando's Barcelos chicken)
• Your payoff line (e.g. "Simpler, Better, Faster")

Tip: Start by filing a trademark for your primary brand, e.g. CHICKEN LICKEN. Later, you can extend your trademark portfolio to cover your products, e.g. Hot Wings, Soul Mix, Slider.

We do not suggest that you try to register: a 3D mark (e.g. the Coca Cola bottle shape); a sound (e.g. the Harley Davidson's "potato, potato"); or a colour (e.g. the Cadbury's purple). These are difficult to register, and even more difficult to enforce.

Trademark number

Within a business day, we will send you a trademark application number issued by the South African trademarks Office (CIPC). After receiving your number, you may use the TM symbol, e.g. IPTICA™ and mark your product "Trademark Pending " or "TM Pending". This warns competitors that you are using the brand as a trademark. You may only use the ® symbol and sue competitors for trademark infringement after your South African trademark has been registered.

The South African trademarks office typically takes about 8 months to issue an office action in respect of your trademark application. We will email this to you.

Use

You may start using your brand at any time ‐ before, during and after filing a trademark application. There is no need to wait until your South African trademark has been filed / registered. You may even trademark register your brand after having used it for many years. This is a good idea, as it converts "common law rights" in the brand into "statutory rights" enforced under the South African Trademarks Act. Should you in future extend your product range, you may at any stage extend your trademark registrations to new classes.

Term

A South African trademark lasts for 10 years. On payment of a small renewal fee, your trademark can be extended for further periods of 10 years … forever. One day, your trademark should be the most valuable asset in your business ‐ just ask Judy's Pickles, Simba, IWISA No.1 and Ms Ball's.

Attorneys

Your South African trademark will be filed by a registered South African trademark attorney. Our South African trademark agents are Sibanda & Zantwijk Attorneys ‐ a South African law firm that specialises in patents, trademarks, designs and prototyping.