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Why do I need a trademark watch service?

Senior Trademark Attorney

A trademark registration grants the right to use a mark exclusively and to enforce that right against infringers. But the right only has practical value if infringement is detected. The trademark alone does not alert you when someone files a similar mark or starts using a confusingly similar brand in commerce.

A watch service helps discover potential conflicts and infringements early by regularly scanning trademark databases and other channels, and notifying you when they appear. This is particularly important for new trademark applications, where the opposition window is fixed and short. A missed opposition window on a conflicting application is a permanent loss of that specific enforcement opportunity.

Related questions

Trademark Registration: DIY vs Professional Service

Filing for trademark registration is something anybody can do with a single online application. Many business owners, however, decide to wait with trademark registration because the process can appear quite complicated at first sight. Applying without a legal representative can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Mistakes and errors are easy to make and can lead to weak trademark protection or the rejection of your trademark registration altogether.

Perceived similarity of trademarks: Lessons from Starbucks trademark disputes

One of the most common reasons for trademark disputes has to do with the perceived similarity between existing trademarks. The two trademarks are considered “similar” if they share common characteristics connected to their appearance, sound, meaning and commercial impression, and if they are used for related goods or services. This is seen as a problem from brand perspective because the consumers might believe that the owners of the two trademarks are related, affiliated, connected, or that the goods or services originate from the same source.

Stories of our clients: TrackMyStack

TrackMyStack is an app built first and foremost to solve a real problem - helping individuals to easily track their financial situation with maximum ease and retain an up to date view of their investments. “The app stores are a bit like the Wild West sometimes, so we want to be able to prevent others apps from trying to imitate our branding.” Read the full story of the founder of TrackMyStack, Georgios Kounenis.