What are the benefits of trademark registration?

Identifiability and differentiation

To have a successful business, you must distinguish yourself from your competitors. Your trademark makes it possible for customers to find, recognise and remember your company’s products and services.

A trademark can be used for brand building. It sums up what you are doing and why people should choose you.

Impressions are crucial

Purchase decisions are not based solely on reason. Impressions play an important role, and a trademark is a key tool in creating them.

A trademark helps in creating a positive and consistent brand identity, it boosts the company’s credibility and supports marketing. If utilised appropriately, it can become your company’s most valuable asset.

Trademark registration gives rights

The most effective way to secure an exclusive right to a trademark.
Possibility to prohibit others from using a mark that causes a risk of confusion.
Possibility to use the ® symbol, which signifies a protected and serious brand.
Boosts credibility in the eyes of financiers, partners and customers.
Enables licencing and franchising. A trademark is a central part of these activities.
Strengthens the impression of quality and reliability. Brands are built on trademarks.

When you apply for registration, there is always a risk of your application being rejected. For example, this could happen if the mark is too descriptive in terms of the products or it is already in use. The application fee is not refunded if the application is rejected.

But rejection may also have a positive side: It is better to be made aware now, before you put work and money into the trademark and brand and before the mark has gained a reputation. Changing or losing the mark later hurts much more.

Thus, the application process gives an answer to this important question: Can I own this mark? That is why trademark registration is often worth applying for.

Without registration

A trademark can also be used without registration. In this case, you should ensure that the use of the mark does not infringe on others’ rights.

Without the protection provided by registration, the company’s name or mark could at worst end up in the possession of a competitor. This means that the competitor can benefit from the good reputation that the mark already has established.

Real-life examples of trademarks in business operations

Our Finnish trademark website suojaatavaramerkki.fi contains practical examples of various companies’ and organisations’ trademarks and their use in business operations.