Trademark is basically a logo, characters and numerals or combination of both. It is used by a company to claim ownership of a design or term that represents the products and services of the company. Various types of trademarks can be registered under a company. In spite of the diversity of Trademarks, they serve the same purpose – to help the customers to identify particular goods or services offered by a specific manufacturer or service provider. We will discuss the various types of trademark in this article.

Product Mark

Product mark is used on a good or a product instead of a service. This type of trademark indicates the origin of a particular product. A product mark helps to maintain the reputation of a business. The trademark applications that are filed under trademark class 1-34 can be termed as product mark since they represent goods or product.

Service Mark

Service mark is quite similar to product mark but a service mark basically represents a service instead of a product. A service mark distinguishes its owners from the owners of other services. The trademark applications that are filed under the trademark class 35-45 can be called a service mark since they represent services.

Collective Mark

Collective marks are registered to let the public know about specific distinct features of products or services that represent a collective. A group of people can use the collective mark to make sure they are collectively protecting goods and services. The owner of the mark can be an association or a public institution or a Section 8 Company.

In case of a collective mark, the regulator who owns the mark fixes the standards of products. Others, who are associated with the collective, are responsible to abide by certain standards in order to use the mark in the course of business. The Chartered Accountant designation is an example of the commonly known collective mark in India.

Certification Mark

The certification mark is a sign to denote the origin of a product, material, quality or other particular details issued by the proprietor. A certification mark serves to fulfill the purpose of bringing out the standard of the products and guarantee the product to the customers. A certification mark indicates that the product has undergone standard tests. It ensures the quality of the product and uplifts its reputation amongst the customers. Certification marks can be found on packaged foods, toys and electronic items.

Shape Mark

Shape marks exclusively protect the shape of a product in order to help the customers relate to a specific manufacturer. It makes the product preferable for the customers who become eager to buy it. Once a product is recognized with an identifiable shape, the shape of that particular product can be registered. The Coca Cola bottle and Fanta bottle have a distinctive shapes which can be related to the brand. They are examples of Shape Mark.

Pattern Mark

Pattern marks are basically products with specific and designed patterns that are the distinguishing factor of the product. A pattern must be unique and prove it to be registered as a trademark; otherwise, it gets rejected since does not serve any purpose.

Sound Mark

These types of marks are generally sounds that are associated with a product or service of a certain seller or service provider. If people can identify a product or service and their provider after hearing the sound, It means the mark is eligible to be registered. These sound logos are also called as an audio mnemonic and usually, it appears at the beginning of the end of a commercial or advertisement. The tune of IPL is one of the most popular sound marks in India.