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A known brand is not a protected brand. Until it is filed, nothing stops a third party from registering it — including someone who has watched you succeed.
Stage 6 of the journey — Intellectual property
§ 01
Before the sign goes up, not after
Peak risk is the moment the business becomes visible while the mark is still unfiled: the sign is up, social media is running, customers start naming you. That is exactly when an attentive third party can file your name. So filing happens before visibility, not after success.
§ 02
What a filing does not cover
A filing protects one sign, for specific activities, in a given territory. Outside those three limits it protects nothing. That is the source of the most common misunderstanding: “my trademark is registered” means nothing until you say for what and where.
§ 03
The prior-art search is not optional
Filing without searching means paying to discover a conflict. The search costs a fraction of the filing and avoids two expensive outcomes: refusal of registration and, worse, registration followed by an opposition once you have invested in the identity.
§ 04
The matching service
These guides describe our working method and what we ask of our clients. They are not legal advice: the conditions applying to your situation are checked case by case.
§ 05
Short guides, drawn from the files we carry. They do not replace a diagnosis, but they spare you the mistakes that cost the most.
