Clothing brand trademark

Protect your clothing line brand

File a South African trademark application for your clothing line brand within a few minutes at a cost of only $80:

1. Check that your brand has not already been registered at the South African trademarks office (CIPC);
2. Register on the Iptica online South African Trademark Filing System;
3. Complete the simple online application form ‐ you may register both word marks (e.g. "BENETTON") and Logos (e.g. Adidas' three stripes); and
4. Pay $80 by credit card.

Start now

We will file your trademark application directly with the South African trademarks office and you should receive a trademark application number within one business day. for details of steps and the timeline to prosecute your trademark application from filing to grant, see our a Process page.

Clothing Design and Patent Pending Numbers

Also, consider:

• protecting the SHAPE of, and PATTERN applied to your clothing by filing South African design applications; and
• getting a Patent Pending Number for new features you're adding to your clothing.

Design and Patent Pending Numbers are available for only $99 at RegisterClothingBrand.

Tips for clothes brands

Aim to register a single word brand that's one or two syllables in length, e.g. GUESS, GANT, NIKE, KAPPA, PUMA, LEVIS, POLO, FILA, GUCCI, LACOSTE, CHANEL.

To increase the chance of your mark being accepted, make up a word (e.g. ADIDAS) or use a word outside its normal context (e.g. NIKE ‐ defn: "victory" in Greek). But, make sure people can intuitively spell it, i.e. nothing even close to NAPAPIJRI.

When filing the trademark, type the word in BLOCK LETTERS (black text). This will cover all types of: script (lowercase, cursive); colours (black, gold) and combinations with other words / logos.

Definitely add a monochrome logo, but do not combine the logo and word mark. The logo and word mark should enjoy wholly independent existences ‐ like a divorced couple; seldom seen together. Simple logos are best. And, resist the temptation to fashion a symbol from the brand letters / acronym (unless you are LOUIS VUITTON or FRENCH CONNECTION UK).

Having said this: the shorter your mark, the higher the risk that a conflicting mark exists on the trademarks register ‐ so, a register search is a good idea; and longer brands / multi‐word brands have a higher chance of being accepted.

Basically, there are no "rules", but following these "tips" is a good guide. Just, don't ask YVES SAINT LAURENT ‐ yes, another "Frankish exception".

Relevant classes

• Class 25 ‐ Clothing, footwear and headgear
• Class 9 ‐ Sunglasses, protective clothing
• Class 14 ‐ Jewellery, watches
• Class 18 ‐ Bags, umbrellas, walking sticks, clothing for animals
• Class 24 ‐ Household linen
• Class 26 ‐ Lace and embroidery, buttons, hair decorations
• Class 28 ‐ Sport gloves, bags and protective gear

Start by filing a South African trademark in: the class you are currently selling products; and in classes where you anticipate launching products in the short‐term. As you extend your product range further, you can file additional trademarks. Just bear in mind that, if you only file your XYZ trademark in class 25, you will not be able to prevent your competitor from using the XYZ brand on his Ray‐Ban knock‐off sunglasses. A niggle, but one that turns chronic if he beats you in the race to the trademarks office and files for XYZ in class 9. Yep, that X!#Z@Y trademark registration would prevent you from extending your own brand to sunglasses, potentially in perpetuity.

Big player analysis

Mark	Class
INIGO JONES word mark	25 (clothing)
TERM word mark	25
BEN SHERMAN word mark	25
BEN SHERMAN word mark	9 (Sunglasses), 14 (Jewellery, watches), 18 (Bags, umbrellas)
BEN SHERMAN word mark	3 (Cosmetic), 16 (Printed material), 24 (Linen)
BEN SHERMAN word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25, 35 (Retail)
BEN SHERMAN MODERN CLASSICS word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25
PLECTRUM word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25
PLECTRUM word mark	16, 24, 35
MILLIONS OF SHIRTS word mark	14, 25, 35
A HERITAGE OF MODERNISM word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25
A HERITAGE OF MODERNISM word mark	35
EC1 word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25DUKE STREET FOUNDRY word mark
DUKE STREET FOUNDRY word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25, 35
BRITISH WARDROBE STAPLES word mark	3, 9, 14, 18, 25, 35
MOD_ULAR BLANC word mark	35
BS logo	3, 9, 14, 16, 18, 24, 25
Shield logo	3, 9, 14, 16, 18, 20 (Furniture), 25, 27 (Floor covering), 34 (Tobacco), 35
Blue, red, white weave	3, 14
BEN SHERMAN cursive script	3, 9, 14, 18, 24, 25
BEN SHERMAN CLERKENWELL LONDON EC1 logo	9, 18, 25, 35
BEN SHERMAN LONDON logo	3, 9, 14, 18, 25, 35
BEN SHERMAN ORIGINAL SINCE 1963 logo	18, 25, 35
BS half flag logo	18, 25, 35
BEN SHERMAN FUNCTION logo and word mark	14, 18, 25
BEN SHERMAN logo and word mark	14, 18, 25
THE ORIGINAL Ben Sherman logo and word mark	9, 14, 18, 24, 25