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Product Development Connection provides inventor services in Northern Ontario (including Sudbury, North Bay, and Parry Sound).

About Trademarks (Based on Canadian Laws) - Product Development Connection

Corporate identity goes hand-in-hand with brand recognition and is a key element of most marketing strategies.
Protecting corporate identity begins with Trademark registration.

Trademark registration gives you exclusive rights to words, symbols and designs, or combinations of these, that distinguish your wares or services from those of someone else. Your Trademark registration is done through Canada's Trade-mark Office. By doing so, you obtain protection within Canada for renewable periods.

Your Trademark must fulfill certain criteria to be registered. Your agent can help you in determining your Trademark's register-ability.

Although it is not mandatory to register your Trademark, it is strongly suggested in many cases. If you use an un-registered Trademark for your wares or service, you may use the following symbol ™ at the very right hand side of your mark.
However, only a registered Trademark can utilize this symbol ® on printed material.

Before filing a Trademark application, one must conduct a Trademark search in order to determine its ability to register.

There are three basic types of Trademarks.

1. Ordinary marks - These are again words or symbols or combinations of these. These marks must represent products or services. Examples are: PEPSI, MICROSOFT, COLEMAN, etc.

2. Service marks - A service mark could be a word or symbol as well but must be representative or of services only. Examples are: VON, CNIB, CBC, etc.

3. Certification marks - Certification marks identify goods or services, which meet a standard set by a governing organization. Examples are: ULC, CSA, etc.

The difference between a registered mark and an un-registered mark is that a registered mark has been approved and entered on the Trade-mark Register held by its respective government.

The filing of a Trademark is required in each separate country in which you desire protection.