How to overcome Trademark Refusal in India?

A trade mark application is filed in a specific class in relation to specific goods and/or services.

As soon as the application proceeds to examination, the Registrar of trademarks may call for certain additional requirements for registration, refuse the application or accept it unconditionally.

The trademark refusal in India is usually under the ABSOLUTE grounds or RELATIVE grounds as below:

  • Absolute grounds: The refusal of a trademark is often under Section 9(1) (a) of the Trade Marks Act 1999, if the mark is descriptive or non-distinctive as such that it is not capable of distinguishing the goods and services of one business from others, or is something that indicates kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, values, geographical origin of the product.
  • Relative grounds: The refusal of a trademark can also be under Section 11 (1) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, if the mark is identical with or similar to earlier marks in respect of identical or similar goods and services, and due to this there exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public.

The examination report/Refusal order contains the reason for the refusal along with the conflicting marks if any. The applicant is supposed to file a response along with their arguments within one month of the date of receiving the communication.

Extract from the Trademarks Act, 1999:

Section 9: Absolute grounds for refusal of registration.

(1) The trade marks–

  • (a) which are devoid of any distinctive character, that is to say, not capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one person from those of another person;
  • (b) which consist exclusively of marks or indications which may serve in trade to designate the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, values, geographical origin or the time of production of the goods or rendering of the service or other characteristics of the goods or service;
  • (c) which consist exclusively of marks or indications which have become customary in the current language or in the bona fide and established practices of the trade, shall not be registered:
  • Provided that a trade mark shall not be refused registration if before the date of application for registration it has acquired a distinctive character as a result of the use made of it or is a well-known trade mark.

(2) A mark shall not be registered as a trade mark if–

  • (a) it is of such nature as to deceive the public or cause confusion;
  • (b) it contains or comprises of any matter likely to hurt the religious susceptibilities of any class or section of the citizens of India;
  • (c) it comprises or contains scandalous or obscene matter;
  • (d) its use is prohibited under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 (12 of 1950).

(3) A mark shall not be registered as a trade mark if it consists exclusively of–

  • (a) the shape of goods which results from the nature of the goods themselves; or
  • (b) the shape of goods which is necessary to obtain a technical result; or
  • (c) the shape which gives substantial value to the goods.

Explanation.–For the purposes of this section, the nature of goods or services in relation to which the trade mark is used or proposed to be used shall not be a ground for refusal of registration.

Section 11: Relative grounds for refusal of registration.

(1) Save as provided in section 12, a trade mark shall not be registered if, because of–

  • (a) its identity with an earlier trade mark and similarity of goods or services covered by the trade mark; or
  • (b) its similarity to an earlier trade mark and the identity or similarity of the goods or services covered by the trade mark, there exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public, which includes the likelihood of association with the earlier trade mark.

(2) A trade mark which–

  • (a) is identical with or similar to an earlier trade mark; and
  • (b) is to be registered for goods or services which are not similar to those for which the earlier trade mark is registered in the name of a different proprietor, shall not be registered if or to the extent the earlier trade mark is a well-known trade mark in India and the use of the later mark without due cause would take unfair advantage of or be detrimental to the distinctive character or repute of the earlier trade mark.

(3) A trade mark shall not be registered if, or to the extent that, its use in India is liable to be prevented–

  • (a) by virtue of any law in particular the law of passing off protecting an unregistered trade mark used in the course of trade; or
  • (b) by virtue of law of copyright.

(4) Nothing in this section shall prevent the registration of a trade mark where the proprietor of the earlier trade mark or other earlier right consents to the registration, and in such case the Registrar may register the mark under special circumstances under section 12.

Explanation.For the purposes of this section, earlier trade mark means–

  • (a) a registered trade mark or an application under section 18 bearing an earlier date of filing or an international registration referred to in section 36E or convention application referred to in section 154 which has a date of application earlier than that of the trade mark in question, taking account, where appropriate, of the priorities claimed in respect of the trade marks;]
  • (b) a trade mark which, on the date of the application for registration of the trade mark in question, or where appropriate, of the priority claimed in respect of the application, was entitled to protection as a well-known trade mark.

(5) A trade mark shall not be refused registration on the grounds specified in sub-sections (2) and (3), unless objection on any one or more of those grounds is raised in opposition proceedings by the proprietor of the earlier trade mark.

(6) The Registrar shall, while determining whether a trade mark is a well-known trade mark, take into account any fact which he considers relevant for determining a trade mark as a well-known trade mark including–

  • (i) the knowledge or recognition of that trade mark in the relevant section of the public including knowledge in India obtained as a result of promotion of the trade mark;
  • (ii) the duration, extent and geographical area of any use of that trade mark;
  • (iii) the duration, extent and geographical area of any promotion of the trade mark, including advertising or publicity and presentation, at fairs or exhibition of the goods or services to which the trade mark applies;
  • (iv) the duration and geographical area of any registration of or any application for registration of that trade mark under this Act to the extent that they reflect the use or recognition of the trade mark;
  • (v) the record of successful enforcement of the rights in that trade mark, in particular the extent to which the trade mark has been recognised as a well-known trade mark by any court or Registrar under that record.


(7) The Registrar shall, while determining as to whether a trade mark is known or recognised in a relevant section of the public for the purposes of sub-section (6), take into account–

  • (i) the number of actual or potential consumers of the goods or services;
  • (ii) the number of persons involved in the channels of distribution of the goods or services;
  • (iii) the business circles dealing with the goods or services, to which that trade mark applies.

(8) Where a trade mark has been determined to be well known in at least one relevant section of the public in India by any court or Registrar, the Registrar shall consider that trade mark as a well-known trade mark for registration under this Act.

(9) The Registrar shall not require as a condition, for determining whether a trade mark is a well-known trade mark, any of the following, namely:–

  • (i) that the trade mark has been used in India;
  • (ii) that the trade mark has been registered;
  • (iii) that the application for registration of the trade mark has been filed in India;
  • (iv) that the trade mark–
  • (a) is well-known in; or
  • (b) has been registered in; or
  • (c) in respect of which an application for registration has been filed in, any jurisdiction other than India, or
  • (v) that the trade mark is well-known to the public at large in India.
  • (10) While considering an application for registration of a trade mark and opposition filed in respect thereof, the Registrar shall–
  • (i) protect a well-known trade mark against the identical or similar trade marks;
  • (ii) take into consideration the bad faith involved either of the applicant or the opponent affecting the right relating to the trade mark.

(11) Where a trade mark has been registered in good faith disclosing the material information to the Registrar or where right to a trade mark has been acquired through use in good faith before the commencement of this Act, then, nothing in this Act shall prejudice the validity of the registration of that trade mark or right to use that trade mark on the ground that such trade mark is identical with or similar to a well-known trade mark.

Overcoming Trademark Refusal in India

An applicant may file a review petition before the Registrar to review its decision within 30 days of such refusal notice.

Rule 119 of the Trade Marks Rules 2017 states that ‘An application to the Registrar for the review of his decision under sub-section (c)of section 127 shall be ma. in Form TM-M within one month from the date of such decision or within such further period not exceeding one month thereafter as the Registrar may on request allow, and shall be accompanied by a statement setting forth the grounds on which the review is sought’.

Section 127 in The Trade Marks At 1999 states the Powers of Registrar and sub clause (c) of the Section states that ‘the Registrar may, on an application made in the prescribed manner, review his own decision’.

Further, on dismissal of review petition, the applicant also has an option of filing an appeal before the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) within 3 months of the dismissal.

We shall study the documents cited for provisional refusal of the case by the Indian Trademarks office and file our proper response to overcome the objections. As mentioned on this page, the response needs to be filed within ONE month of the date of communication of the refusal to the applicant. A notice of refusal is usually accompanied by a list of conflicting marks. We shall also study this list and offer our opinion on the possibility of successful registration of the mark.