What INPI trademark registration is
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Trademark registration establishes your company’s ownership of a name, logo, or both before INPI, Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property. Registration lets you prevent identical or similar marks in the same field nationwide. Industrial Property Law 9.279/1996 governs it. Registration lasts ten years and is renewable.
The real risk is discovering, after years of Instagram, storefronts, and uniforms, that another business owns the mark and everything must change. That costs more than registration.
What does it protect?
Use of the sign in its registered field. INPI uses product and service classes. A bakery registers in food; an identical clothing mark in another class may coexist without conflict.
It does not:
- Register business names, handled by the state Commercial Registry.
- Guarantee domains, separately registered first-come through Registro.br.
- Reserve Instagram handles.
The three records are independent; none guarantees another.
When is it worthwhile, and how long does it take?
When the brand carries investment: storefronts, packaging, ads, franchises, online stores with own products. Service providers using the owner’s name have less urgency.
Start with an INPI similarity search. Apply online; INPI publishes, allows opposition, examines. Approval takes months, often over a year.
A natural cosmetics brand grew on Instagram for two years without registration. Applying revealed a near-identical registered mark in the same class. It changed names, labels, and profiles. Registration would have cost a fraction.
What to do now
Search INPI today for your name. If available, apply before new materials. For a new brand, choose a name available simultaneously on INPI, Registro.br, and Instagram. Your brand consistent on Instagram, website, and invoice: avilaops.com/identidade-visual or WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Can MEI register trademarks?
Yes. INPI accepts MEI, ME, and EPP applications with discounted fees. Check the changing official fee table before applying.
Does owning the domain mean owning the brand?
No. Domains are addresses; trademarks are sign ownership. Registered owners may even claim your domain. See avilaops.com/glossario/dominio.
Register the name or logo too?
Depends on use. Word marks protect words; mixed marks protect word and drawing together. Strong-logo businesses often register both through separate applications.
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