When you start your own business,you will also have to come up with a good and striking name and a beautiful logo. Something with a nice ring to it and that sticks well. If successful, of course you also want your name and logo to remain yours. Forever. It won’t happen automatically; you will have to make it happen. Often entrepreneurs don’t realize this, or they’re just not sure how it works. And that’s a shame, because you can protect your brand name effectively in a few simple steps. Just using your trade name or registering it at the Chamber of Commerce or getting a domain
name (registered URL) is not enough to protect your brand name from being used without your consent. To get that protection, you need to officially register your brand as a trade mark.

Do I have a brand name?

First, of course, it is important to know whether you have a brand or not . Fortunately, there is a simple checklist for that. If you use your name for your product or service as a logo , as a website or to advertise on social media, that means you have a brand name! For only $310, you can officially register and protect your brand.

The benefits of registering your brand
As an entrepreneur,you work hard for your money. If you do well, you build up a good name and that adds value to your brand. Your brand name may even become valuable enough to figure on your balance sheet and become part of your assets. If you ever sell your business, you can also charge for your trade mark. There are other benefits to registering your brand: it inspires confidence among customers and partners. The most important thing, of course, is that you can protect it from being used and copied without your permission. That way, others cannot profit from your good name.

What other intellectual property rights are there?
But it is not only your brand name that is worth protecting. You also want to protect your concept, ideas, products and company. So, as an entrepreneur, you might well find yourself dealing with other intellectual property rights. Maybe even without knowing it. Here is a handy overview to help you identify at a glance what applies to you.

Copyright
Protects original works. You hold the copyright automatically when you create something. For example, software, a book, painting, or the design of your product.

Domain name rights
Protects your unique URL. You hold the rights as soon as you register your domain with a domain name provider.

Patent rights
Protects a new technical product or process. You can apply for a patent at the Netherlands Patent Office, part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (at www.rvo.nl/octrooien).

Trade name rights
Protects your company name. You hold the rights as soon as you demonstrably use the name for the first time, e.g. in an email or on a letterhead.

Idea in i-DEPOT
In principle, you cannot protect an idea, but with an i-DEPOT you can prove that an idea existed on a certain date, ideas such as the basic concept for an invention, an original song or a working method you have devised. You can register an idea or concept with BOIP (at www.boip.int)

Do you want to know more or register your brand right away? Go to www.caribIE.nl