Best practices to follow While Conducting Trademark Watch

Not availing of trademark watch services is a critical mistake committed by most startups and SMEs in the UAE. You need to monitor your trademark in the marketplace even after registering a trademark in the UAE because a registered trademark is always vulnerable to infringement. A trademark infringement may negatively impact your brand reputation and overall business performance.

Trademark agents in the UAE can watch your registered trademark in the market for any infringement threat. The agents can prevent infringement through trademark monitoring, which is considered the most effective way to protect your brand. Trademark watching in the UAE enables you to identify potential infringers and take the necessary action as early as possible.

Let’s take you through some of the best practices you need to follow while monitoring a trademark in the UAE:

Try to Understand your Industry

It is advisable to understand your industry even before registering a trademark in the UAE. Knowledge about your industry will give you enough ammunition when you start watching a registered trademark in the UAE. Stay abreast of industry news in general as it will help you identify potential threats early on to take necessary action before it’s too late.

Know the Major Players and Competitors

You need to identify the major players and competitors in your industry as they can be a threat to your registered trademarks. The major industry players have a significant impact on the market and they may use marks that are similar or identical to your trademarks. Find out who they are and keep an eye on their activities (product launches, product announcements etc.) in the marketplace.

Craft a robust watch strategy

Before hiring a trademark watch service provider in the UAE, you need to create a strategy for monitoring your registered marks. Businesses need to spend some time defining the scope of a trademark watch service in the UAE. You need to answer key questions such as,

• Which classes of trademark services should be monitored?
• Which geographies or markets should be reviewed?
• Which words, designs, or logos should be included in the watch program?

Doing this will help you to get the best results out of a trademark watch service in the UAE. For example, if a startup or an SME is planning a fundraising campaign for only a short period, it will not be useful to add the campaign logo to the watch program. Finalise your strategy after consulting with the best trademark agents in the UAE.

Select an appropriate monitoring type

There are two forms of trademark watch services: an identical watch and a similar trademark watch. An identical watch identifies word marks or logos that are visually or phonetically identical. A similar trademark watch identifies identical and confusingly similar marks. Trademark agents in the UAE advise you to employ both types of watches to ensure robust protection from trademark infringement.

Regularly carry out a trademark monitoring

You need to designate a dedicated staff member to regularly review the watch notices and reports sent by your trusted provider of trademark watch services in the UAE. No need to worry, it takes only a little time to review the reports and determine whether or not a competitor is infringing upon your registered trademark. After the review, you can decide if any action needs to be taken. Not all results warrant an action but learning about conflicting marks can be the first and most important step in enforcing your startup’s intellectual property rights in the UAE.

Take appropriate action when necessary

If the watch report sent by the trademark watch service provider is alarming, you need to take immediate action. Don’t call the competitor over the phone and make threats. Send a Cease and Desist Letter to the infringer in the UAE with the help of trademark agents. If the infringer fails to respond, file a lawsuit in compliance with existing laws in the country.

Dubai’s Best Trademark Watch Services Providers

Using reliable trademark watch services is the most critical element of your trademark enforcement strategy as it enables you to identify infringers and take necessary action. However, hiring reputed trademark agents in the UAE such as Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP) is essential to ensure you receive accurate and prompt watch reports. JIP has years of experience in delivering bespoke trademark services.

Other than providing trademark monitoring services in the UAE, we offer services such as trademark registration, trademark renewal, trademark search etc. JIP also helps you to protect your trademarks internationally through the Madrid Protocol. Entrust your marks with us to ensure robust brand protection in the UAE and worldwide.