Therefore, a good business card is indispensable and influential, and it is also an important step for enterprises to establish their brands. However, when some enterprises apply for trademarks, they will choose the combination of patterns and characters based on the consideration of becoming famous quickly and leaving a deep impression on customers.
The trademark "Zhou Heiya" applied by Zhou Heiya is a typical combination trademark, and its trademark consists of colors, characters and graphics.
The concept of combined trademark
A combined trademark refers to a trademark consisting of two or more of six elements: words, graphics, letters, numbers, three-dimensional signs and colors. Compared with a single trademark, that is, compared with a trademark composed of only one element such as words, graphics and letters, the composition of a combined trademark is more complicated and more recognizable.
Advantages of combined trademarks
1, high recognition; For example, the above-mentioned "Zhou Heiya" trademark has a high degree of recognition. Set words, patterns and colors in one, vivid and eye-catching, easy to read and understand.
2, the registration cost is low; As we all know, if the patterns and characters in the "Zhou Heiya" trademark are registered separately, the registration cost will rise, while the combined registration only needs the registration fee of one trademark.
But in fact, the registration of combined trademarks is not so beautiful, which is why most trademark agents do not recommend registering combined trademarks.
Advantages of separately registered trademarks
1, improve the success rate of trademark registration.
You know, while applying for trademark registration, you can register a combination, but during the examination, you treat the elements (words, patterns, letters, etc. ) in the combination of trademarks. If an element in the combined trademark is the same as or similar to the earlier application or registered trademark, the whole combined trademark will be rejected. It is different to register separately. Even if one project is rejected, it will not affect other projects.
As shown in the figure, the applied trademark is on the left, and the earlier applied trademark is on the right. Because the design is similar to the earlier applied trademark, all the applied trademarks on the left are rejected. After all, the examination of design trademarks is subjective and depends on the examiner's subjective consciousness. Even if there are essential differences in the design concept and details of applying for registered trademarks, there is still the possibility of being mistaken in the eyes of examiners.
2. When in use, they can be arranged in any combination.
When applying for a trademark separately, it is more flexible and can be used alone or in combination.
Take the NIKE trademark as an example, its trademark is actually used in combination, that is, "√" and "Nike", which are combined by the two. These two trademarks can be used alone or in any combination. Most of the Nike shoes we often see are "√". If it is a combined trademark, it must be combined with letters, which is too big and redundant.
3, is conducive to the protection of trademarks
A separate registered trademark is more secure! Usually, in practice, if the infringer only imitates a part of the combined trademark, the court may not think that the infringer's trademark and the combined trademark belong to similar trademarks, thus allowing the infringer to escape civil liability and sanctions. However, applying for a trademark alone is independent and significant, and it is easier to defend rights in case of infringement.
To sum up, the combined trademark has low registration cost and strong identifiability, but the risk of infringement is high, the use is not flexible enough, and the registration pass rate is low; The cost of registering a trademark separately is slightly higher, but it is more flexible to use (it can be used alone, in combination and recognizable), and it may be less infringing and more convenient to protect rights.