Branding is an important tool for any business as it helps build goodwill and reputation. If you’re thinking of selling a business or just putting protections in place, you need to ensure you’ve taken the steps to protect your brand.
What can I do to protect my brand?
Some of the key ways to protect your brand and the intellectual property that sits behind it is by registration. This includes:
- registering your business name;
- registering your domain names; and
- registering your names, logos, mottos and more as trademarks.
How do I register these things?
The table below sets out a high-level guide to registering business names, domain names and trademarks.
Business Name | You can register this through your accountant, through ASIC Connect, through the Australian Government’s Business Registration Service or a private service provider. |
Domain Name | You need to first check if your domain name is available. If it is, you can register domain names through an accredited registrar or reseller. |
Trademarks | To register a trademark, you need to check that your mark isn’t already registered with IP Australia (the Australian Government agency responsible for administering intellectual property rights and legislation). If not, then you’ll need to prepare and file your trademark registration application. Sometimes your registrations might be opposed, or the examination report might identify issues which you’ll need to respond to. This can get a tricky, so we recommend seeking legal advice to maximise your chances of registration. |
If you’re interested in finding out more about protecting your brand and the most suitable options for your particular business needs, contact our business team on 07 3224 0265.
