Registering a trademark allows you to use it legally, but also to ensure that no one else uses it, at least in the same field.
In this way, you ensure exclusivity of use, and in a way protect yourself against counterfeiting.
What do I need to do to register a trademark?
What does trademark ownership entail?
Let’s take a look at trademarks, how to protect them and the rights associated with registering them. 
INPI ?
INPI is the French National Institute for Intellectual Property.
It is the organization that registers trademarks.
Once a trademark has been registered with the INPI, you are identified as its owner, with all the rights that go with it.
It’s important to note that INPI also registers patent applications and designs.
Created in 1951, millions of applications have been processed, and each year tens of thousands of trademark applications are registered with the INPI.
INPI teams are responsible for registering and managing the various intellectual property titles.
They also provide other services, such as information for companies, assistance for innovators by supplying technical and legal documentation, and training in intellectual property.
Each year, the INPI Trophies are awarded to companies and research centers that demonstrate innovation and implement an exemplary intellectual and industrial property strategy.
Why register a trademark with INPI?
What’s the risk of exploiting a brand you haven’t registered?
After all, you might say to yourself that you’ve been exploiting your trademark for years, and that no one will have anything to say about it.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
By not registering your trademark with the INPI, you run the risk of another company, perhaps a competitor, coming to you and saying “that’s my trademark, stop using it immediately or I’ll take you to court”.
And this company will be within its rights if it has protected the trademark itself.
Having to rebrand, start from scratch and rebuild everything is often impossible, and usually leads to a complete halt in business.
This is because changing brand name has a considerable cost (administrative expenses for changes of articles of association, printing costs to redo all media, creation of a new logo, a new visual identity, change of website domain name, change of emails for all employees…) and is generally difficult to bear for a small structure.
Protecting your brand means protecting yourself from this kind of procedure. 
Registering your trademark protects you for ten years.
This protection can then be renewed indefinitely every ten years.
The extension must be registered within one year of the expiry date.
If you miss the date, renewal will still be possible within six months of the expiry date, but the fee will be slightly higher.
INPI defines the classes for which a trademark can be registered.
These are the different professional activities and products for which you can protect a trademark.
Class 1, for example, covers chemical products for industry and science, agriculture, food preservation, etc. Class 2 includes paints, varnishes, lacquers, coatings, etc. Class 36 covers insurance, banking services, capital investments, etc. The “Nice Classification” or “International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks” comprises 34 classes for goods and 11 classes for services, making a total of 45 classes.
A standard trademark application covers up to three different classes, but it is possible to extend your trademark protection to other classes at an additional cost.
Steps to register a trademark with INPI
It’s important to follow the steps involved in registering a trademark with INPI, to ensure that it’s properly registered.
Preparing to register an INPI trademark
Before registering your trademark, you need to determine precisely which products and services will use it.
Only the products and services mentioned in the trademark application will then be protected.
You will then need to organize them into classes for the application.
Please note that it will not be possible to add products or services once the application has been filed.
It is therefore particularly important not to forget anything.
Any new product or service will require a new application.
Before registering a trademark, it is imperative to ensure that it and the accompanying logo are available.
It must not reproduce or imitate an existing trademark registered for similar products or services.
Finally, when all the elements are in place, you can register your trademark directly online on the INPI website. 
INPI trademark registration
Once the trademark application has been filed, INPI will send you an acknowledgement of receipt, mentioning the date and the national number assigned.
The application will then be published in the Bulletin officiel de la propriété intellectuelle (or BOPI) within six weeks.
You will also receive a notice of publication in the BOPI.
All the information you have provided will be included.
This is the time to check that there are no errors, as it will then be impossible to rectify them.
Once the application has been published, INPI will examine it.
The examination will cover both the substance, to determine the validity of the trademark, and the form, to check that all formalities have been completed (information, payment of fees, etc.).
If the examination of the application reveals a problem or error, you will be notified by letter.
Publication in the BOPI also gives third parties a two-month period in which to oppose the registration of your trademark (if they own a prior right or if their rights have been infringed, for example), or to make observations.
Once again, you will be informed by mail of any opposition or observations.
INPI trademark registration
If your application is opposed or commented upon, you have the opportunity to respond.
You can then contest the arguments presented and rectify any errors.
If this is not possible, you have the option of withdrawing all or part of your application.
INPI may also reject your application in whole or in part following its examination.
Once the examination procedure has been completed and any opposition or observations have been lifted, INPI publishes the registration of the trademark application in the BOPI.
This procedure takes at least five months.
You will then receive a registration certificate proving that your trademark is registered and that you are the sole owner.
To conclude about registering a trademark with INPI
As you can see, registering your trademark with the INPI is an essential step in launching any kind of business.
If that business involves online sales, I invite you to get in touch with me. As an e-commerce developer for over 10 years, I’d be delighted to talk to you about your online store project.
