In this era of highly competitive markets, businessmen have extremely limited time, sometimes down to seconds, to make potential investors/buyers understand their product/service, impress them, and make them believe that their product/service is worthier and better than any other similar one out there in the market. This is where business logos come in. A logo offers a competitive edge to a product or its parent company, which can attract potential customers. A logo, which is recognized as a property under law, symbolises a product, service, business or company.

When it comes to gaining visibility and uniqueness with a logo, detailing is a must. For the correct amount of detailing, it is extremely crucial to pay attention to each and every aspect of a logo- its size, shape, colour, font, etc. The quality of a product reflects in its logo- a well-designed logo beams of good quality of goods and services provided by a company.

Logos and Copyright

Copyrights are tools of intellectual property that protect artistic, literary and dramatic work from being misappropriated. So, if a logo includes details that have an artistic or designer elements, it legally becomes a work of art and is liable to be protected by copyright law. However, copyright law has certain drawbacks, in the sense that it does not protect the basic elements to the logo. Additionally, it is hard to enforce a copyright because of the extreme subjectivity involved in each artwork, but, in entirety, it can protect un-authoritative copying of a logo.

Logos and Trademark

Trademarks are again instruments of intellectual property, that differentiate and protect the goods and services of one business from that of others. The main prerequisite for any enterprise to be protected by a trademark is its distinctiveness. Thus, it is advised to new businessmen to run a trademark search before fixating and registering for trademark protection. When a logo is protected by trademark, the law forbids the illegal use of the brand and, in case of infringement, even protects the right for trademark infringement lawsuits.

Moreover, trademarks are not limited to a brand or its slogan, but also extends to a logo. It provides protection to all the aspects of the logo- its size, shape, font, colour, name etc. This protection is not provided by copyright. Hence, trademark protection is crucial in that it maintains a brand's equity, by helping it prevent the marketing of illegal and misappropriated copycat products.

Copyright + Trademark = Dual Protection

It is apparent from above that both copyrights and trademarks have their pros and cons. However, when put to work concurrently, they can very well protect the logo of any company, which serves as a valuable tangible asset to the company.

Therefore, for upcoming businesses/companies, it is highly recommended that they get their brand name, slogan, logo etc. registered for copyright and/or trademark, whichever they deem fit, at the very earliest stages of their business possible, preferably along with their company registration. This will ensure that they become valuable assets to the company once the brand is solidly established.