Your brand name is your most valuable long-term asset. A trademark takes ~18 months to register but you can use ™ from day one. Here's the founder-friendly walkthrough.
Before you file
Do a public search on the Trademark Registry (IPO India). Look for identical AND phonetically similar marks in your class. Skip this and you'll pay for an application that gets rejected.
Pick the right class(es)
There are 45 Nice Classification classes. A D2C skincare brand typically needs Class 3 (cosmetics), Class 5 (medicated skincare), Class 35 (retail services). Filing in wrong class is the #1 reason for rejection.
The MSME hack — save 50%
If your business has an Udyam certificate, official trademark fees drop from ₹9,000 to ₹4,500 per class. Get your Udyam registered FIRST (it's free) — then file the trademark. This one step saves ₹4,500 × N-classes.
Filing (Form TM-A)
File TM-A online with the logo (JPG, ≤2MB), applicant details, class, description of goods/services, first-use date, and priority claim if applicable. You get a TM number immediately — start using ™.
The wait
Examination: 3–6 months. If objected, respond within 30 days. Publication in Trademark Journal: 4 months for opposition. If clean, registration certificate arrives 8–18 months from filing.
Liquetax fast-track
We file within 4 working hours of receiving your logo + docs, do the class analysis for free, and handle all examination objections in one flat fee.