The Trademark Office

Trademark is any icon, word, or image that symbolizes a product or services of a company. It may also be a symbol of recognition of a non-profit or non-corporate organization. Trademarks are supposed to be registered at either domestic or global levels and their proprietors are endowed with legal privileges and protection for the use of the trademark for commercial or recognition reasons.

Trademark is considered as an intellectual property. Intellectual properties are defined as the term used for a group of legal privileges to a different kinds of ideas, information, or creative works in certain medium of expression. Other categories of intellectual property are trade secrets, copyright, patent, and industrial design right.

If the company or organization has decided upon a trademark, then it should be registered to a trademark office to enjoy the rights and privileges the trademark law provides. But before the application is approved by the trademark office the owner or company must ensure the distinctiveness and availability of the chosen design. In other words, other than the reason for its originality, the trademark design should not be in use of another organization or company. If the eligibility of the trademark has been determined by the help of trademark lawyers, then the application may proceed smoothly.

Subsequently, if the chosen trademark has no other problems then it can be registered. Following its registration is the trademark's being published in the trademark office's official publication to make known to the public that this trademark has been officially registered. Through this, any member of the public is informed of the new trademark and may have the right to contest its eligibility if he or she believes that another company or organization was injured, commercially or through reputation, by the registration of the trademark.

The following are the overview of what the trademark offices do and the role of its global society in pushing through innovations in world of trademark and patent systems.

The main function of any trademark office is to endow exclusive rights for the protection and registration of trademarks. It basically gives service to the welfare of enterprising establishments in connection with the recognition or identification of their commodities and services. It may also facilitate the implementation of intellectual property laws. And with the authority of any trademark office, it is also a tool for the advancement of any country's innovation in technicalities as well as its economy.

This agency has the authority to evaluate trademark applications. It also publishes and makes known to the public trademark documentation assignments, trademark information, and keeps a collection of search files of domestic (and possibly foreign) patents and trademarks. Some trademark offices also have search rooms that are open to the public where they can freely study previously registered trademarks.

And like any entity, trademark offices from around the world have created their own group to easily collaborate with each other about the regulation of the trademark system. The patent office is deemed inseparable with the trademark office. They go hand in hand within the systems of enterprise and commerce. Collaboration between offices can be very helpful for the improvement and innovations of the system.

Patent and Trademark Office Society is the global organization of trademark and patent offices between countries. This organization has a dynamic control on trademark systems as well as patent systems which supports the advancement of the system's development.

The origin of this organization can be traced back to January 4, 1917. It was mainly created to allow easy collaboration between the offices in the improvements of the system.

The main goal of the society is to encourage the progression of the trademark and patent systems, support the societal and professional interests of the Society's affiliates, to allow the progression of development of the criterion of ethical professionalism among Trademark and Patent offices, and to implement legitimate functions of trademark and patent systems.

The most successful product that the society has generated is the creation of the Journal of The Patent and Trademark Office Society publication. It basically endorses the scholarly and professional interests of the society's members and the general trademark and patent profession. The publication has been utilized as the standard vessel for information distribution and the barter of intellectual ideas in the world of trademarks, copyrights, and patents. The society has also been circulating a publication called the Unofficial Gazette. It is practically employed as a communication tool between its members about their leisure interests.

The Patent and Trademark Office society has also helped in the enhancement and appropriate operation of the laws and system concerning both trademarks and patents.