A Trade Mark protects the proprietor’s right of ownership and interest in the Mark, by ensuring that the proprietor has the exclusive right to use the Mark to identify his goods and/or services, or to authorize another to use it in return for payment.

A registered Trade Mark enables a proprietor to guarantee the quality of goods and standard of services for which the Mark is used. As the proprietor has exclusive rights of use of the Mark, he can ensure that the Mark is only used upon goods of a certain quality, or services which meet a certain standard. Where he consents to other persons using the Mark under a license agreement, he is still able to ensure that the goods and/or services to which the Mark relates, meet his standard of quality so as to protect his reputation and goodwill in the market.

A Trade Mark also forms part of the promotion of the goods and/or services. It is often designed to appeal to the consumer, to create interest and to inspire a feeling of confidence in the goods or services to which it relates.

Trade Mark protection also restricts the efforts of unfair competitors, such as counterfeiters, from using similar distinctive signs to market or promote goods or services of inferior quality, or different goods or services.

The period of protection of a Trade Mark is for ten (10) years upon registration, and this period can be renewed indefinitely, that is, for every ten (10) years, thereafter.

Trade Mark protection is enforceable in the Courts by civil or criminal action. Trade Mark proprietors can initiate civil suits against infringers as well make complaints of incidents of trade mark infringement to the IP Unit of the Organised Crime Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for the initiation of a criminal action.

Negril Service Center is official consulting agency of Jipo, Jamaica Intellectual Property Office, save your time and a trip to Kingston and come to register your Trademark at our office.