Before one chooses to apply for the registration of a trademark or service mark, it is ideal to first conduct a trademark clearance to verify if the mark sought to be registered is not proscribed by the Intellectual Property. The aim of the trademark clearance is to assess the likelihood that the trademark application will be allowed to register.

Our trademark specialists can help conduct reliable trademark searches to anticipate any possible problems in a trademark application before it is filed and check if there are any trademarks or service marks that may be cited by the trademark examiner during the prosecution stage of the application process. Our trademark specialists are also able to give advice on how to address any issues that may be identified by the trademark clearance and search conducted.

Securing the earliest possible filing date for the client’s trademark application is our firm’s priority. Our trademark specialists aim to file your trademark applications upon receipt of your specific and complete instructions. Moreover, our trademark agents provide advice to avoid the issuance of office actions with the aim of fast tracking the registration of the trademark application.

A trademark examiner may not allow registration of a trademark on various grounds including likelihood of confusion, generic, descriptiveness, misdescriptive or or misleading. Our lawyers, can assist in filing responses to office actions and provisional refusals to overcome objections raised by the trademark examiners in the examination stage of the application.

Once a trademark is allowed and registered, our trademark specialists can assist clients in submitting the required Declarations of Actual Use and Petitions for Renewal needed in maintaining the trademark registration. We are proactive in reminding our clients of due dates and deadlines for the submission of trademark maintenance requirements.

Any change affecting the title or ownership of a trademark application or registration must to be recorded with the Bureau of Trademarks of the Intellectual Property Office. We can assist in the filing of requests for recordal of assignments or transfers of ownership of trademarks with the Bureau of Trademarks. Moreover, our lawyers can also draft and review agreements relating to the assignment and transfer of a mark ensuring compliance with with the requirements of the Intellectual Property Code.