A Guide to Obtaining Protection For Your Company’s Secondary Trademarks
Secondary trademarks are an effective brand strategy used by companies to market their different line of products under the umbrella of the main brand. In this respect, obtaining trademark registration in the UAE is essential for secondary brands to get more brand visibility and increase the customer base. Trademark agents in Dubai can help you obtain protection for your secondary trademarks.
Trademark registration also helps you to trump your competitors and obtain protection against trademark infringement in the UAE. Secondary trademarks help companies to create new customers or prevent the loss of existing customers. Secondary trademarks are essential for brands to jump into new markets without compromising the main trademark’s brand image and reputation. Read ahead to know further about obtaining band protection for your company’s secondary trademarks
A Glimpse Into The World of Secondary Trademarks
A secondary brand can be called a brand within a brand. Secondary trademarks use a unique name for a product or service to develop their own distinct brand identity. A secondary trademark comes in handy when a parent company wants to establish its presence among a new group of customers. For instance, Big Mac is the secondary trademark of McDonald’s.
Key Factors Influencing Secondary Trademarks
Businesses need to mind certain key considerations before carrying out trademark registration in the UAE. After developing a secondary brand, you must analyse whether the UAE Trademark Office will green flag your proposed mark. Trademark agents in Dubai can help you with such an assessment. The following checklist will be useful for registering your secondary trademarks in the UAE:
1. Choose a Strong Brand Name
Just like a primary trademark, secondary brands also have their own unique identity. Hence, you are required to choose the brand name of your secondary trademarks as per the standard procedure of trademark registration in the UAE. A brand name should be strong and distinctive. It should not contain descriptive words or terms that directly describe the quality, feature or result of a product or service.
’Milky Cream’ is a descriptive name for a brand of ice cream as it directly describes the feature, content and quality of an ice cream product. Instead, try for fanciful names for your secondary trademarks. Fanciful names are considered the strongest trademarks and can be easily registered. Trademark agents in Dubai can help you assess the strength of your secondary trademarks.
2. Autonomy of Secondary Trademarks
Next, you must check if your secondary trademark can stand on its own or if it will only be used along with the parent brand. A secondary trademark that can stand apart from the main brand must be registered as it is prone to infringement.
3. Longevity of Usage
Secondly, you must check how long the secondary brands will be used in the market. Companies sometimes launch limited edition products or seasonal products that may be withdrawn from the market after they achieve their intended purpose. Brands with only a limited period of use need not be protected through trademark registration in the UAE. It is because the product may have lost its relevance by the time the UAE trademark grants registration for it.
4. Market Reach of Secondary Trademarks
Apart from a new customer base, most secondary trademarks target new markets as well. Companies trying to expand into more international territories must ensure that their secondary trademarks are protected in those territories as well. However, it is a costly and time-consuming process to register a trademark in each of these international jurisdictions. However, you can take benefit from the Madrid Protocol system to register trademarks in multiple international territories in a go.
The UAE has joined the Madrid Protocol of International Trademark Registration in September 2021. The Madrid Protocol allows the UAE brand owners to apply for protection in more than 120 member countries through a single filing. More importantly, it involves a single set of fees and you can apply in one official language. Talk to the best trademark agents in Dubai for applying through the Madrid Protocol of International Trademark Registration.
Consult with the Best Trademark Agents in Dubai, UAE
Developing secondary trademarks are essential for companies to branch out into a different range of customers and markets. Hence brand owners need to conduct trademark registration in the UAE to protect their secondary trademarks. However, it involves many critical considerations before you jumpstart the process. Trademark agents in Dubai such as Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP) can help you to protect your secondary trademarks from any type of infringement. We have a team of highly qualified trademark agents who can help you to make decisions regarding brand registration in the UAE. JIP can help you assess the strength of your trademarks and assist you in preparing the documents. Consult with us today for ensuring enhanced brand protection across the GCC region.