Brand Registration
A brand which we may hear of in today’s market, shops or companies is a name, symbol or design created to distinguish between different products or services from different companies. A brand provides ownership over a product and therefore, no other individuals can register with his/her own name. A Brand, like humans, has an identity and a personality and together, they shall make a Brand unique.
Unique and Better Brand
The higher the social and business value of a brand, the company shall be more distinguished from other companies and more known to people. A strong and unique brand on the products can have a good impression on people. If the customers get satisfied and happy with the product, they will remember the brand name and ultimately this will lead to customer satisfaction and loyalty which is the ultimate goal of a company. In addition, a unique brand may be considered as a fingerprint of a company by which all people around the world may know about the company, the quality products and services it provides.
What Is a Good Brand
A good brand focuses on the goals of a company. You should not underestimate it and it can also be much helpful in today’s competitive market. If you want your customers to stay loyal, you must perfect your brand. Working on the brand identity is important. The brand identity makes your company be recognized by your customers. The brand identity is the one that creates a connection between the company and company customers, builds trust, customer satisfaction and loyalty. A brand with no identity shall not be called a brand. The brand image determines how your customers perceive the brand. The goal of a brand identity is to create a positive image in the customer’s mind. Let us tell what an individual must expect from a good brand:
- A brand must be written in simple words, this may lead to better and easier memorizing by the customers.
- A brand must be easily advertised.
- A brand must have the ability to be registered and legally supported.
- A brand must be clear and certain.
- A brand must be permanent.
- A brand must be economical and reproducible.
- When someone hears a brand name, the name must transfer a pleasant sound.
- A brand must be original and innovative. The brand name must not be a duplicate.
- A brand must create a positive picture in individuals’ mind.
Reason of Brand Register
There are many reasons for registering a brand: The registration of brand name distinguishes the product types of a company from those of other companies. After the brand was registered, no one else can misuse that brand.
The company may institute court proceedings against any person misusing its brand name or using similar names. Know that brand register is not required, but under certain laws by the government, the brand must be registered and monopolized. For a registered brand, an exclusive brand certificate shall be issued with the validation date of 10 years.
Brand Registration in Iran
For registering a brand in Persian, it is required to have Farsi (Persian) origin in the Dehkhoda dictionary or Moin Encyclopedic dictionary, 2 special syllables must be used to avoid dissimilarity and it is better to register the name of a company based on the type of company activity. It must be noted that a commercial card shall be required for registering the brand name in Latin letters. Following items muse be observed:
- A brand name cannot have scientific words.
- A brand name cannot have descriptive words.
- The trademark should not be misleading. In other words, it must not confuse the consumer while shopping.
- The trade name must not violate religious norms.
- The trade name must not consist of official government marks and countries' emblem.
- The trade-mark must not be similar to other registered trade-marks.
Renewing Brand Certificate
As we have stated, a brand certificate shall be issued with the validation date of 10 years. After 10 years, an individual must take action during a period of maximum of 6 months. Otherwise, the certificate shall be declared null and another individual can register the brand over his/her name.
Process of Registering a Company
The simplest way to register a brand, is to submit an application. To do so, an individual must visit ssaa.ir (website of the Real Estate Registration Organization of Iran). In the registration section, the following steps must be followed:
- Choose the intended application.
- Enter the information of the brand owner and the company.
- Sacn all documents, company and individual, and upload to the website.
- Online payment of the respective costs
- Receiving an application number, tracking code and password
After the above process, all the documents submitted shall be reviewed by the organization professionals and approved if no problem was found. After the final payment, the brand shall be printed on the official gazette of the Judicial System of Iran. And ultimately, it shall be registered with the Office of Industrial Property
Brand Registration Costs
The cost of registering trade-marks and brand names varies based on being legal or natural. The costs of registering trade-marks have not any connection with the institution fees and are related to the state cost of brand registration. These costs shall be deposited into the defined bank account of the government or the Real Estate Registration Organization. The costs of this type are as follows: application register, brand class, advertisement on official gazette, inquiry for the brand, application amendment, certified copy of the brand and mass-circulation newspapers.
Inquiry for the Brand
The most important part of brand registration is the inquiries for the intended brand. An individual may have used the brand name before. We recommend you to use one of the following websites:
- Official Gazette of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- All the advertisements published in the official gazette are available on this website.
- Intellectual Property Office
- Once an individual has entered a chosen brand name and the same or similar name was found in the field of the business, he/she shall not be able to choose that name and the brand shall be rejected.
Documents required for Brand Registration
- For brand name registered by a natural person:
- birth certificate and national identification card of the applicant
- valid criminal record certificate
- a sample photo of the brand provided in size of 10*10
- In case the brand picture is 2 or 3 dimensional, the picture must be provided in different angles. If the brand consists of Latin letters, in addition, the commercial card must be provided .
- operation license and business certificate
- In case registration affairs being done by the official advocate, the official power of attorney shall be provided along with other documents.
- And for a legal person (company)
- acknowledgement
- establishment advertisement
- birth certificate and commercial card of the CEO (in case it is in Latin)
- company registration documents representing the juridical entity
- articles of association and official gazette (on which establishment advertisement has been specified)
- a certified copy of the birth certificate and national identification card of members of the board of directors and selected representative of the board of directors
- a photo of brand provided (In case the brand is 2 dimensional, the photo must be provided in different angles. In case the brand consists of English Latin letters, in addition, the commercial card must be provided)
- operation license and business certificate
- In case registration affairs being done by a representative and advocate, the power of attorney shall be provided along with the documents.
Differences of Brand and Trade-Mark
Brand name and trade name must correspond to each other. The brand is considered as the product identity of a company whereas brand name is the image a company has about its organization or products. Why do you need to register your brand and trade-mark? To make sure that no one can use the brand name and trade-mark. By registering a brand, you can institute court proceedings against whomever intending to misuse it.
Benefits of Registering
Registering a brand name has benefits as follows:
- Trademark makes a company's services and products different from of other companies.
- The trademark is the official and private reference of a company.
- Trade-marks help to facilitate and accelerate marketing.
- A trade-mark helps to reduce the overhead costs of products and services.
- Transferring a trademark shall act as a new source of revenue for the company.
Limits in Brand Registration
- Registration of a brand name has its own conditions and limits in accordance with the laws of any country.
- Be careful while choosing the words. They must not be scientific, descriptive worlds violate moral and general norms.
- It must not confuse commercial and public center in terms of geographical conditions and features.
- The brand name must be unique, and there must be no similar brand name registered.