A practical guide to trademark protection for Pet Products brands

Every great pet brand starts with care for animals, but it is the brand that transforms a simple product into a trusted part of a pet owner’s life.

Your brand is the name on the food bag, the logo on the leash, and the promise of quality and love that your customers associate with their pets. It is what turns a product into something reliable, familiar, and cherished.

A registered trademark transforms that brand from an idea into a legally owned asset. It gives the owner the exclusive right to use and license the name, logo, or design and provides a strong legal foundation for enforcement against imitation.

For businesses within the pet products sector, this protection delivers real advantages. It helps you

Pet owners form strong emotional connections with brands that reflect love, care, and fun. Choose a name that communicates your story rather than simply describing the product. The more distinctive your mark, the easier it is to protect and the stronger it becomes over time.

Tip: Suggestive, abstract, or invented names tend to offer the best long-term protection (for example, Kong, Whiskas, or Ruffwear).

Before you print packaging, signage, or invest in marketing, check that no one else has registered or applied for a similar name in your target markets. A legal team can help you assess the level of risk and make changes if needed. This step is important even for smaller pet brands.

Tip: Trama offers a free lawyer’s check with results delivered within 24 hours, followed by expert guidance on the next steps for registration.

Trademarks are granted on a “first to file” basis in most countries. If another party files before you, you could lose your rights even if you have been using the name longer.

Action point: File for protection as soon as possible, ideally before your public launch or retail distribution.

The optimal trademark strategy depends on your production, sales, and expansion plans. The key principle: protect your brand wherever it creates or captures value.

Your first registration should always be in your country of origin, where your business is incorporated and primarily operates. This provides a legal foundation and supports enforcement at the local level.

If you export or plan to sell internationally within the next two to three years, register in those markets before building distribution or retail partnerships.

Common priorities for pet product exporters include:

If your products are produced or packaged abroad, for example manufacturing in Germany or China, register your mark there too. This prevents local factories or distributors from misusing or registering your brand.

Online stores make your brand visible worldwide long before you officially enter some markets. Competitors or resellers in those regions may try to register your mark first. If you sell internationally through your website or marketplaces, extend protection to the countries where you most frequently ship or advertise.

Selecting the correct trademark classes is as important as choosing the right countries. Trademark protection is class-specific: it applies only to the goods and services covered in your application.

The Nice Classification system (adopted globally) divides goods and services into 45 classes. For the pet products industry, the following are typically relevant:

A precise class selection provides strong coverage and minimises gaps that competitors might exploit. A trademark lawyer can assess your business and expansion plans to ensure complete and commercially sound protection.

For detailed class guidance and tailored recommendations, use our online tool: Trademark Class Assist

The pet industry has seen rapid growth online, but increased visibility also means higher risk of imitation. Here is how to protect your trademark effectively across the internet:

Register your main domain name and common variations across multiple top-level domains (for example, .com, .co.uk, .eu). Trademark registration strengthens your position under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), allowing you to reclaim domains registered in bad faith by third parties.

Secure your brand handle across all major social media platforms, even those you do not currently use.

Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter) have trademark complaint procedures that allow removal of infringing profiles or content. Verified accounts also act as public proof of authenticity.

If you sell pet products online, use brand protection programmes offered by major marketplaces:

These programmes confirm brand ownership and allow you to remove counterfeit listings or misleading accounts more efficiently.

Competitors sometimes use another brand’s name in online advertising or metadata to attract customers. With a registered trademark, you can request removal of such ads under Google’s or Meta’s advertising policies.

Regularly monitor search results, social media, and marketplace listings for misuse of your brand name, logo, or packaging.

Trademark monitoring tools, or professional services such as Trama, can alert you to new filings or suspicious uses globally, allowing you to act quickly within legal time limits.

Every pet product brand lives through the trust and satisfaction it creates for both owners and their pets. Protecting that trust through trademark registration is both a legal safeguard and a business necessity.

Many pet entrepreneurs invest heavily in design, packaging, and marketing before securing legal protection. Involving a trademark lawyer early ensures that your creative and commercial investment becomes a defendable and valuable asset.

A trademark lawyer can help design a protection strategy that aligns with your business objectives, providing both legal security and commercial flexibility. Book a free consultation today to take the next step in protecting your brand.