Quick Answer
Logo registration and brand name registration are both trademark registrations in India, just for different elements of your brand. A brand name is filed as a wordmark, a logo is filed as a device mark, and the two carry different scope, cost, and renewal considerations. Most founders should register the wordmark first, then the logo once the design is finalized.
“Logo registration” and “brand name registration” sound like two separate processes. They are not. Both fall under the Trademarks Act, 1999, and both go through the same Trademark Registry. The real decision is not whether to use one term or the other. It is whether to register your name, your logo, or both, and in what sequence.
Should You Register the Name, the Logo, or Both?
Register the name first if you can only afford one filing right now. A wordmark protects the text of your brand name regardless of the font, color, or design it appears in. This is the asset customers search for, type into browsers, and associate with your reputation.
Register the logo separately once your design is final. A device mark protects the visual elements, including any stylization, icon, or graphic device. If your logo is still likely to change as your brand matures, filing it too early creates a mismatch between what is registered and what you actually use.
Register both if your budget allows it and your logo is genuinely final. This gives you the broadest protection: one registration stops competitors from using your name in any styling, and the other stops them from copying your specific visual mark.
Decision criteria:
- Choose the wordmark alone if your logo design is still evolving or budget is tight at incorporation stage.
- Choose the logo alone if your name is generic or descriptive and unlikely to secure strong wordmark protection on its own.
- Choose both if your logo is finalized and you have the budget to file two applications, ideally in the same filing cycle.
We generally advise founders to lead with the wordmark. A name change is rare and expensive to unwind. A logo redesign happens far more often, sometimes within the first 18 months of operation, and rushing that filing tends to waste money rather than save it.
Wordmark vs Device Mark vs Combined Mark: Cost and Strategy
India’s Trademark Registry allows three filing formats, and each carries a different strategic trade-off. The government fee itself does not change based on mark type. It changes based on applicant category and number of classes.
Mark Type | What It Protects | Best For | Strategic Risk |
Wordmark | The brand name in plain text, any font or color | Founders confident in their name, less confident in final logo design | Weak protection if the name is descriptive or common |
Device Mark | The logo’s visual design, including stylized text if fused into the graphic | Founders with a finalized, distinctive logo | Protects the design, not the name, if filed alone |
Combined Mark | Name and logo together as a single composite image | Founders who want one filing covering a fixed look | Protection ties to the exact combination filed; a font or layout change may fall outside scope |
A combined mark looks efficient on paper, since it is one filing instead of two. In practice, it often protects less than founders expect. If you later change your logo’s layout, font, or color scheme even slightly, the registered combined mark may no longer match what you’re using in the market, weakening your enforcement position.
Filing the wordmark and device mark as two separate applications costs more upfront but gives each element independent, full-strength protection. Choose this route if you plan to license your brand, expand into new categories, or if brand consistency is central to your business model.
Logo Registration Process and Cost
Filing a logo as a device mark in India follows the same procedural path as any trademark application, with a few logo-specific steps at the start.
- Conduct a trademark search. Check the Registry’s database for identical or deceptively similar device marks in your class before filing anything.
- Finalize the logo artwork. Submit the logo exactly as it will be used commercially. Any later change to the design may require a fresh filing.
- File Form TM-A. This is the standard application form used for wordmarks, device marks, and combined marks alike.
- Respond to the examination report. The Registry may raise objections on distinctiveness or conflicting prior marks. Replies must be filed within the deadline stated in the report.
- Clear opposition, if any. Once published in the Trademark Journal, third parties have four months to oppose the application.
- Receive the registration certificate. Once uncontested or once opposition is resolved in your favor, the mark is registered for ten years, renewable indefinitely thereafter.
Government fees for e-filing currently stand at INR 4,500 per class for individuals, startups, and small enterprises, and INR 9,000 per class for other applicants. These fees apply per class and per mark, so filing a wordmark and a device mark separately means paying the fee twice. Fee schedules are revised periodically, so confirm current rates before filing.
Professional fees for search, drafting, and filing assistance are typically quoted separately from government fees. Ask for a written breakdown before committing, since objection responses and opposition defence are often billed as additional stages rather than included in the base filing fee.
Want a fee breakdown specific to your filing? Altacit Global can put one together based on your applicant category and class count. Contact us at info@altacit.com.
Common Mistake: Registering a Logo You'll Redesign Later
The single most avoidable mistake we see at the incorporation stage is filing a logo that gets redesigned within a year. This happens for a predictable reason: founders want to lock in protection early, so they file whatever logo exists at the time, even a placeholder built quickly for a website launch.
The problem is that a device mark protects the exact design submitted. If your actual logo later changes, even in small ways, such as a modified icon, a new font pairing, or a different color palette, your registration may no longer cover what you’re using commercially. You end up paying for a second filing anyway, plus the cost and delay of the first one.
The fix is straightforward. If your logo is not finalized, file the wordmark first. It protects your name immediately, and it buys you time to settle on a logo design without the pressure of a filing deadline. File the device mark once the design has been through client-facing use for a reasonable period and is unlikely to change.
For businesses further along, we’ve covered cost related details in our Trademark Registration Cost in India guide and how to register it online in our registration guide.
Getting Your Filing Sequence Right
The name-versus-logo decision is not one you should make on a coin flip. Get the wordmark filed early to lock in protection over your brand name, and hold off on the logo filing until the design is genuinely settled.
Altacit Global has advised on trademark filings, including name and logo registration strategy, since 2003, with offices in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Coimbatore. If you’re unsure which filing sequence fits your business, contact us at info@altacit.com and we’ll walk through it with you.
Frequently Asked Questions: Logo Registration India
Q1: Is registering a logo the same as registering a trademark?
Yes. A logo registration is a trademark registration filed as a device mark, which is one of several mark types recognized under the Trademarks Act, 1999. The same Registry, forms, and process apply as they would to a wordmark or combined mark filing.
Q2: Do I need to register both my brand name and my logo?
Not necessarily. Register the wordmark alone if budget is limited or your logo design is not final. Register both if you have a finalized logo and the budget to protect each element independently, since combined coverage gives broader enforcement rights than either filing alone.
Q3: How much does it cost to register a logo in India?
The government fee for e-filing is INR 4,500 per class for individuals, startups, and small enterprises, and INR 9,000 per class for other applicants, as of current fee schedules. Professional fees for search, drafting, and objection handling are typically quoted separately.
Q4: Can I use a logo commercially before it's registered?
Yes. There is no legal requirement to register a mark before using it commercially, and many businesses use a logo for years before filing. However, an unregistered logo relies on common law protection, which is weaker and harder to enforce than a registered device mark.
