The ™ symbol may be used for names, logos, slogans, or other marks that you consider to be your trademarks but have not yet registered.

The registration symbol ®, does carry legal weight. It is used only after you have received confirmation of your trademark registration. It is illegal to use the ® symbol if your trademark is not registered.

You can protect your trademark internationally by filing separate applications in each country where protection is desired. Alternatively, you can use international treaties like the Madrid Protocol, which allows for a single application to cover multiple member countries.

Various types of intellectual property can be registered, including patents for inventions and technologies, trademarks for brand names and logos, copyrights for creative works, industrial designs for product designs, and trade secrets.

A trademark registration lasts for 10 years and can be renewed

Infringing on someone else’s intellectual property rights can result in legal action, including lawsuits, fines and penalties to stop the infringing activity.

For an invention to be patentable, it must be novel, non-obvious, and useful

A trademark protects brand identifiers like names and logos used in commerce, while a copyright protects original works of authorship such as books, music, and films. Trademarks distinguish goods or services, while copyrights protect the expression of ideas.

The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works standardizes copyright protection internationally, ensuring consistent rules across its member countries.