A trademark is a sign that makes it possible for a manufacturer to distinguish his goods or services from the goods or services of another company. It can be a word, but also a logo, a combination of letters or figures, a colour, a type of packaging, or even a sound or smell.
A trademark must have a distinguishing feature and consequently cannot be descriptive for the goods or services for which it is deposited. For example, it is not possible to have the word 'soap' protected as a trademark for soap. On the other hand, a trademark cannot be misleading with regard to the nature of the goods or services.
A trademark cannot conflict with a trademark that was already previously registered by another party. Therefore, before having a trademark registered, it is best to have its availability searched.
A trademark goes through an entire lifecycle, from creation to registration and protection to expiration.
