An Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP) (Page 4 of 10)
An Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP)
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Trade-marks
A word (or words), a design, or a combination of these used to distinguish the goods and services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace
Look around you
… how many trade-marks do you see everyday?
You might notice that some trade-marks are followed by the symbols ® or ™.
Canada's Trade-marks Act dœs not contain any marking requirements. However, you may have come across the following symbols used by trade-mark owners, namely, ® (registered), TM (trade-mark), MD (marque déposée) or MC (marque de commerce). The ® or MD are generally used to identify a registered mark. The symbols TM or MC are generally used to identify an unregistered mark.
Trade-marks can be used to uniquely identify goods and services
A brand is a collection of perceptions in the mind of the consumer.
A trade-mark is a distinctive indicator which uniquely identifies a particular company, individual, or product/service.
Top Canadian Brands
| Canadian brands | (in billions of dollars) |
|---|---|
| Thomson Reuters | 9.3 |
| TD | 6.7 |
| RBC | 6.1 |
| BlackBerry | 6.0 |
| Pharmaprix / Shoppers Drug Mart | 3.4 |
| Tim Hortons | 2.6 |
| Bell | 2.5 |
| Rogers | 2.3 |
| Scotia | 2.1 |
| BMO | 2.0 |
| Canadian Tire | 1.9 |
Source: Interbrand Canada, 2010 Best Canadian Brands
Trade-mark protection
In today's competitive global marketplace, branding often becomes the most important aspect of a business or an organization.
Registering a trade-mark has important advantages in Canada:
- It provides proof of ownership
- It allows you to flag infringement under the Trade-mark Act
- It prevents others from adopting a similar trade-mark
- It can make licensing your products and services easier
