Our online trademark application process
There are three simple steps to Trademarks Online’s application process.
selecting the trademark you want to protect
choosing the categories and products you want to protect your trademark for
entering the trademark owner details
Once you have completed the application form on our website, your trademark application will be submitted to the Singapore Trademark Office within one business day.
The team at Trademarks Online will send email updates at each stage of the process.
The benefits of Trademarks Online
Affordable pricing:
One-off application fee - no surprise “success” or registration fees.Country-specific:
Designed to meet Trademark Office requirements to register a trademark - no lengthy, generic forms requiring unnecessary information.Minor Trademark Office issues fixed free:
If minor issues are raised by the Trademark Office relating to the categories, products, services or ownership, we will fix these for free.Better protection:
Our smart trademark product and service picker recommends relevant products and categories, so you get the best protection for your business.Easy to use:
Fully automated 3 step process, in plain English.Apply anytime:
Register your trademark online at any time of the day, 24/7.Fast application:
Apply in under 5 minutes, we submit directly to the Trademark Office.Minimum info:
You only provide the data needed to process your registration, nothing more. We keep it simple to reduce the risk of mistakes.
What trademarks to protect
What trademarks to protect depends on what brands you value.
Having a trademark registration means you can stop others from using the trademark you've registered for similar products or services.
When deciding what trademark to protect, it’s a good idea to take a look at the various brands you use in your business. It’s likely there are some elements, like brand names or logos, that you wouldn’t want your competitors using - these are the brands you should protect.
If you want to own a word or a combination of words (such as a brand name or business name) - then apply to protect those words as a trademark. If you want to protect the look of a logo or image, then simply upload that logo and apply to protect it.
Your trademark should be original and distinctive or used for products and services which are not likely to be confused with similar trademarks. When setting up a new business, it’s a good idea to come up with a completely unique business name or brand.
If you want to protect multiple trademarks (for example, a brand name and a logo), you need to submit separate applications.
With our service, once you have completed the first trademark application, you have the option to apply for another trademark with similar details. The new trademark application form will pre-populate with the information you entered previously and is easy to edit.
What type of trademark
You should protect the brands that are important to your business. For most businesses, this means trademarking your brand names, your logo and any unique slogans you use.
Logos can include a brand name or other words in a stylised font, or they could be a logo on its own without any words. If your logo includes words, and both the words and the look of the logo are valuable to you, you should apply to separately protect the words as one trademark and the logo as another.
With Trademarks Online’s fully automated trademark application system you can:
Trademark your business name
eg, NIKE
Trademark your logo
eg,
Trademark your brand name
eg, AIR MAX
Trademark a phrase or slogan
eg, Just do it.
Classes/categories of products and services
Trademarks must be registered for specific products or services, which are divided into 45 categories or trademark classes.
The classification system allows similar trademarks to be registered for different products and/or services by different companies. For example:
KIT KAT is a registered trademark for chocolate products (class 30)
ADIDAS is a registered trademark for athletic shoes (class 25), travel bags (class 18), and sporting equipment (class 28)
VODAFONE is a registered trademark for mobile phones (class 9) and telecommunication services (class 38)
Our online application process is designed to assist you to search and select the classes and descriptions that cover the products/services relevant to your business that you may want to protect. The results of the searches will give you the most relevant classes and a list of descriptions approved by the Trademark Office.
You should protect your brand for the products and services you are using your brand for, along with those you may use in the future so that you can easily expand your brand offerings knowing you have the right level of protection for your brand.
Be resolute about what the products and services you register your trademark for, but also be realistic.
Trademark owner
It's really up to you who you would like to own your trademark. Think of it as, who you would want to own a car or a house, and ask yourself whether it would make more sense for a person or a company to own the asset.
A trademark can be owned by:
an individual or individuals
a company
an incorporated trust or the current trustees
other legal entities, such as an incorporated society
You will need to provide details of the trademark owner as part of your trademark application. This includes the trademark owner’s address, phone number and email address.
It is possible to change the details of a trademark owner at any time, but this can incur costs.
After an application has been submitted
All Singapore trademark applications are submitted to the Singapore Trademark Office. They follow a process to assess each application.
Assessment
The Trademark Office will assess your trademark application within around 4-6 months after it has been submitted.
If the Trademark Office requires clarification around the information provided with the application, we will fix it for you at no cost.
If the Trademark Office considers a trademark to be too generic, they won't initially approve it. If this happens, our consultants can take a look at the issues and provide you with their comments and possible options at no cost.
Approval
If your application meets all requirements, the Singapore Trademark Office will notify that it has been approved.
Publication
Every trademark application is published so other entities have an opportunity to object, if they have good reason. Singapore trademark applications are published for a period of two months, and the majority of applications move through this stage without any issues.
Registration
Once a trademark is registered, you’ll receive an official certificate of registration. A Singapore trademark registration is valid for 10 years. It is now ok to use the ® symbol with your trademark.
Still have questions?
Take a look at our FAQs, or contact us at hello@trademarksonline.com.sg.