Logo Design & Registration Package

Thinking of starting a new gig this year but have no idea what to name your unicorn? Or you may already have a name or two in the oven but wanna jazz up your logo to get in with the in-crowd. Well, we have just the thing for you!

This January, we are offering a Trademark Design and Registration Package for RM2,950! So now you can finally have that awesome logo that you've always wanted and be sure that no one else has it!!

Sounds good? Why not get in touch to know more about this package and what else we can do to help you kick start your future Fortune 500.

Package inclusive of :-

I. A creation of two brand names for your consideration;

II. Upon confirmation of 1 brand name, we will proceed with the design of the trademark which will include:

· logo ideation, research and discovery process;

· sketches and illustration;

· 2x Amendments;

· Design of Business Card

III. A comprehensive trademark search to ensure registrability and availability of the proposed trademark;

IV. Filing, publication and registration of the trademark in Malaysia and the delivery of the certificate.

#design #Trademark #branding

Madrid Protocol – Your Gateway to Global Brand Protection

On 27 December 2019, the Madrid Protocol came into force in Malaysia. And with it, protecting your brand globally is just a single application away. Through the System, with a single application you can protect your trademark in up to 122 countries.

Prior to Malaysia's entry into the Madrid Union, the only way for local businesses to protect their trademarks overseas would be to file an application in each of their target country through a local IP practitioner--a tedious and oftentimes costly affair. Whereas with a Madrid application, once you've filed your application at the IP Office in Malaysia, it will be sent to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) who will then send your application to the local IP offices of all the countries you've selected, cutting out the middle man (so to speak).

So, aside from saving you cost and time, what other goodies does the Madrid Protocol bring? In some jurisdictions, a Madrid application may move along faster than a national application as the member state must complete examinations within 18 months. Changes in ownership, address, etc. can be recorded more easily as you'll only need to record the changes with WIPO who will then transmit the changes to the local IP offices.

However, there are some downsides to Madrid too. Firstly, although the Madrid system covers most major markets, there are a few who are left out (e.g. Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE, Taiwan etc.). Secondly, although it opens up the world to Malaysian businesses, it also opens up Malaysia to the world. For a foreign company with hegemonic intentions, or worse, a trademark squatter (an extortionist who registers trademarks just to sell them back to the owners), your precious trademark is now just a tick box away. Also, Madrid applications have a dependency period of 5 years, where the international registration will collapse if the home application/registration is cancelled or abandoned (in what's known as a Central Attack).

To find out more about how you can utilise the Madrid Protocol as part of your international trademark protection strategy or whether Madrid is right for you, please give us a holler.

#InternationalTrademark #branding

Part Of The Solution, Not The Problem!

For many people, 2019 has been a real tough one. The descent of the Khaleesi into genocidal madness coupled with her eventual demise at the hands of her nephew cum lover (he really does know nothing); the untimely death of our beloved genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist; the realisation that many of our favourite celebrities from the 90s turned out to be either sex crazed maniacs, fraudulent weirdos or maniacal sex-crazed fraudulent weirdos. We've witnessed far too many cold-blooded massacres in schools, places of worships, places we were supposed to feel safe in. We saw cities, forests, jungles on fire, lit by our indifference and fueled by our bigotry.

For us, 2019 has been really challenging too. The ongoing trade-war between the two largest economies, the instability caused by the Brexit kerfuffle and the devaluation of the Ringgit chipped away at our revenue. The slowdown of the market affected our collection and liquidity. Even some of our Startup clients have been forced to call it a day. All in all, it sounds like 2019 has been a damp lump of coal! You might very well think that, but we couldn't possibly agree!

You see, for all its doom and gloom, 2019 is just like any other year. Sure, there are untold catastrophes and calamities (and yes, most of them are man-made), but amidst the ashes and detritus of these disasters, we often see humanity at its best. We see glimmers of hope. This year, we saw a teenager standing in UN, calling out world leaders for their inaction towards safeguarding our planet's future. We saw the Kiwis standing together, after a heinous act of terror, to reform their gun laws in order to prevent the same from happening again. In Australia, a 14-week pregnant volunteer firefighter stayed to battle the raging bush fire in her neighbourhood. The Ethiopians planted a world record 353 million trees in 12 hours!

We've seen our fair share of ups in 2019 too! While revenue has dropped, our profit has remained largely the same due to increased efficiency. We have further decreased our carbon footprint by moving into an office space with a Gold GBI Rating and becoming almost entirely paperless. Our patent team has been bolstered by the arrival of Sew Yeng and Joel. Our entrepreneurship project with the Chin refugee ladies (Lametna Project) has made a healthy 5 figure sum in the first year. Our Startup Assistance and pro-bono work has helped around 20 local start-ups, social enterprises and non-profits.

Looking forward, we will continue to increase the social impact of our business as we’ve always believed that an improved eco-system (in nature, society or the business environment) is beneficial to everyone. We will continue to assist local start-ups through our Start-up Assistance. We will also continue to help those who help others by offering pro-bono services to charitable organisations and non-profits. Additionally, we will be introducing a new SAHEBAT initiative aimed at helping local social enterprises to collaborate with each other as well as connecting them to corporate businesses. Next year, we will also begin the process of being accredited as a social enterprise by Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre.

We know 2020 will bring with it more challenges but we are adamant that we will be part of the solution and not part of the problem. After all, we are here to help!

Happy New Year everyone!