Questions

1. What is a brand?

A brand is one of the principal, tangible assets of major value of a company. It is the badge or identifier of its products or services. It is the mechanism accross which it accumulates and assesses the progress of its company.

The brand name is any sign or combination of signs that allows to distinguish the goods or services of a person or company from the others as they are considered to be what identifies the company in the market.

The signs can be any word, combination of words, designs, images, packing, advertising, phrases, portraits, labels, the combination of colors and any other sign with attitude to distinguish products or services.

2. Why register your brand?

• Because a good or service that lacks brand lacks identity.
• Because the brand facilitates the capture of decisions of the consumers at the moment of choosing between other goods or similar services.
• Because the brand defines the company.
• Because the product or service is expressed by the brand. The brand expresses its advantages and differences in relation with its competitors.
• Because it is the only way of which the public recognizes its products or services. It makes the construction of the image possible before the clients.
• Because it is an obligation to the clients.

3. What signs can be registered as brands?

• Words or combination of words
• Images
• Signs
• Symbols, graphics, logos, monograms, labels, emblems
• Letters and numbers
• A certain color or a combination of colors
• Any combination of the above signs

4. Why should I register my brand?

When the brand is registered, its owner will be able to use it exclusively and preferentially in the economic world. Therefore it could prevent third parties from using similar or identical signs for goods or equal or similar services that will create confusion.

Other benefits from registering your brand are the following:

• It individualizes the products and services
• It allows to offer the services or products using the brand
• It compiles the incalculable value of the quality of its products or services
• It facilitates to evaluate the reputation and prestige before the clients
• It abilitates the defense against the disloyal competition, usurpation, falsification or piracy.
• It designates the products or services, introduces them on the market and reinforces the advertising function
• It guarantees the property on the brand and the rights to use it in an exclusive way. Nevertheless, the law grants righst to users of a well known brand in Costa Rica even if it is not registered.
• It offers the right to request for you, at the office of records, the use of a distinctive, equal or similar sign for products of the same class.

5. What is the territorial scope of the brand?

The record of a brand will be valid and will be protected to the territory of the country where it was requested. It is to say that it could only be exploited inside the national area.

6. How long is the process to register a brand?

This process takes between 6 months to a year if there is no inconvenients. The percentage of brands that complete this process without any objections is 60%.

7. What advantages does FTP offers?

FTP is a group of experts in industrial property which function is to protect its brands in an economic, efficient and simple way. Traditionally the services of presentation of brands have been very costly and slightly accessible for the small enterprises. Our philosophy resides in the fact of taking the processes and services to an economic value for companies of any size. Therefore we have created these services that allow you to register your brand at a very suitable cost.

• A very wide and innovative assistance that combines the following tools: Specialty, versatility and experience
• Deep knowledge of the national and international legislation
• Constant training and development of our lawyers by taking courses, assisting to seminars related to the industrial property.
• Defending the interests of our clients in a professional way and with integrity.
• Personalized, efficient and high quality attention
• A service that offers integral and constant solutions where you as a client, leave everything in our hands in a trusting and secure way.
• Periodic reports of the changing situations entrusted to the company
• Easy rapid steps at reduced prices in comparison with the current rates.
• Tranquility and satisfaction

8. Does FTP offers legal services ?

The purpose of the company has been to create a tool that serves to support our clients in order to protect their brands. In case the need arises to have legal assistance during the process, our legal advisers will guarantee the effective and prompt response to your matters.