Trademark Registration: What You Need and In What Order

Your name, logo, and recognisable signage are how customers find you among dozens of similar businesses. But until a mark is registered, it legally belongs to no one: anyone can use it, and proving the brand is yours becomes difficult. Registering a trademark is the way to secure the right to it for you alone, so that others cannot trade under your name.

Since 2018, we at LPF have supported small and medium businesses, keeping law close to bookkeeping and numbers. Trademark registration puts many people off because the sequence of steps feels unclear and there is a fear of “getting it wrong.” In reality the order of actions is logical, and if you follow it step by step, most mistakes are filtered out at the very start.

In this article we break the process down clearly: what to prepare, in what order to act, and what to watch out for so you don’t waste time and effort. Let’s be honest upfront: no one can guarantee the outcome of registration — the decision is made by a state authority, and it depends on how unique your mark is.

Step 1: Define exactly what you are registering

The first thing to do is describe the object itself. A trademark can be a word, a combination of words, a logo, an image, or a mix of these. What you register affects both the strength of protection and the likelihood of refusal.

• Word mark — the name or slogan itself. It protects the text regardless of the font used.
• Figurative mark — a logo, emblem, or symbol without words.
• Combined mark — the name together with the logo as a single unit.
• List of goods and services — you need to decide in advance which activities the mark is registered for. This affects both the scope of protection and the cost.

At this stage it helps to think ahead: if you plan to develop new lines of business, it is worth including them now rather than registering the mark again later.

Step 2: The similarity search

This is the most important step, and it is often skipped — which is exactly why refusals happen. Before filing an application, you need to check whether marks similar to yours are already registered or already applied for.

• Name search — whether the word is already taken for the same goods and services.
• Similarity check — what matters is not only exact identity but similarity to the point of confusion: when marks differ, yet a customer might mix them up.
• Risk assessment — the search shows whether it makes sense to file with this exact version or whether something is better changed.

An honest check at the start saves the most: it is far better to learn about an obstacle before filing than to receive a refusal after months of waiting.

Step 3: Preparing and filing the application

Once the object is defined and the search is done, the application itself is prepared. Accuracy in the details matters here — the image of the mark, the correct list of goods and services, and the applicant’s data.

• Image of the mark — in clear form, exactly as it will be protected.
• List of goods and services — built around the official classification, with nothing excessive and no gaps.
• Applicant’s data — who the right is registered to: a company or an individual.

After filing, the application goes through review by the state authority. This is not a fast process, and during it official requests may arrive that must be answered correctly and on time. It is precisely at this stage that professional support helps you avoid losing the application over a technicality.

Step 4: Review, the certificate, and what comes next

If there are no objections and the mark is found to meet the requirements, you receive a certificate — the official document that secures the right to you. But registration is not the finish line; it is the start of protection.

• Validity of the right — the certificate is valid for a set period, after which it needs to be renewed.
• Use of the mark — the right is best backed by genuine use in your activity.
• Watching the market — it is worth monitoring whether similar marks appear from others, so you can react in time.

We say it honestly: the final decision always rests with the state authority, so there is no such thing as a “100% guaranteed registration.” Our role is to make the path as transparent as possible and to reduce the risks at every step.

If you want to secure your name or logo for yourself and don’t know where to start, get in touch. We will walk the whole sequence together — from the trademark search to receiving the certificate — keeping law right beside your bookkeeping and numbers, in plain language and without unnecessary rush.