The Colombian Trademark Office (SIC) recommends taking the following steps to request a trademark registration in Colombia:
1. Choose the trademark to register.
The entrepreneur must choose a sign that is a good identifier for the products or services that he intends to protect with his brand. It is important that the brand selected is not generic, descriptive or misleading. For example: The expression “ACETAMINOPHEN” cannot be registered to protect medicines as the expression “BIKE” to protect bicycles, since these words are generic or usual designations for such products.
2. Check the class of products or services that will identify your brand.
Enter the TMclass classification, which is officially used by the SIC. There you can find, in detail, the products and/or services that you intend to identify with your brand and the class to which they correspond.
3. Consult the trademark history.
The search can be made in the SIC (SIPI) database. However, it is difficult to interpret the results, so it is recommended to consult with an experienced trademark attorney.
We do not recommend going to Internet pages that offer free trademark history searches, because, many times, the service provided is not of good quality or is limited to present results of the exact search of the sign of your interest, without considering similar trademarks or in related classes.
To carry out a trademark background check, in a safe and reliable manner, through a law firm, former SIC officials, and experts in trademark registration, enter here.
4. Select the type of trademark to register.
The most common types of trademarks are nominative, mixed and figurative. If you want to know more information about the types of marks, go to the following link: Types of marks.
5. Complete, pay and submit the registration application.
The trademark registration application can be filed physically or online. To access the registry, it is necessary to pay the official fees of the Colombian Trademark Office (SIC), as well as the professional fees of the attorney that you select to handle the procedure.
To file a trademark registration application in Colombia, enter here.
6. Monitor the trademark registration process.
To monitor a trademark registration process, you must enter the SIPI and pay attention to the electronic notifications sent by the SIC.
Check if your mark can be registered or start a trademark registration application in Colombia filling out the form below: