Making your mark in the music biz ✨

Before you begin the process of trademarking an artist or a band name, there’s a few things that you should know;

• This process is not free! There is usually a cost depending on your location.
• The rules will vary in different locations. You will need to refer to the guidelines within your region.
• It’s a long process. Make sure you’re sure you want to do it!

Here are the steps;

1. Have a search on Google for your artist name. Make sure your name doesn’t match with anyone else’s or isn’t too similar – for example, The Beatlez would probably not be accepted.
2. Search through your chosen trademark database using your artist name and any similar spellings, etc. Make sure you search in the database of the specific country you live in! This is a super helpful and important part of the process because you’ll find out whether your name is either already an existing trademark or whether it’s pending to be.
   
   Here’s where you can begin searching:
   UK: GOV UK
   USA: United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO)
   India: Intellectual Property India (IPI)
   Europe: European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
   Canada: Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)
   Mexico: Mexican Industrial Property Institute (IMPI)
   Australia: Australian Government IP Australia (IPA)
   Chile: Instituto Nacional de Propiedad Industrial (INAPI)
   South Africa: Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
   
3. Next you’ll need to locate and fill the trademark application form on the website.
   You’ll need the following information prepared:
   – Personal details of the owner of the trademark
   – Details of what you want to register
   – The classes and terms you want to use your trademark for

And send off your application! Woo!
Be aware some applications can be pending for a little while.

Whilst we can’t advise too much more on trademarks as this isn’t our area, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns relating to RouteNote!

See also:
What is copyright?
What are the common mistakes to avoid so I don’t have artwork copyright issues?
Does copyright on a sound recording expire?