The Importance of Trademark Watch Services

Registering your trademark is not the end of the road: it is the starting point of a protection strategy that should include active monitoring of new applications that may be confused with yours or weaken your market position.

What is trademark watch?

Trademark watch consists of systematically reviewing publications of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), in particular the Trademark Bulletin, to detect third-party applications that are identical or similar to your distinctive sign or that affect the classes of goods and services relevant to your business.

Why the Bulletin matters

Before the INPI, publication of registration applications is an essential stage of the process. That stage opens procedural windows — such as opposition — that can only be used if you have timely knowledge of what has been published. Without watch services, many conflicting applications go unnoticed until it is too late to act with the same effectiveness.

Risks of failing to monitor

If you do not monitor, you may find identical or similar marks registered in classes close to your activity, resulting in greater consumer confusion, loss of effective exclusivity, and higher costs to remedy the situation later (cancellations, litigation, brand reinforcement campaigns, and the like).

What we do when we detect a conflict

With your mark under MBC watch, we conduct periodic searches to detect and inform you of potentially conflicting trademark applications.

Conclusion

Trademark watch is a management safeguard: it anticipates conflicts, protects the value of your mark, and allows you to make informed decisions. At MBC, we help design watch plans tailored to each portfolio and market.