Before you apply, what to expectworth a minute
Registration takes about 24 months on average, though it can take much longer. You are protected from the filing date, not the day the certificate arrives, so filing early is what matters.
R2,990 per class covers everything through to registration. Nothing further is payable unless the examiner raises something or a third party objects, and we quote before any of that.
What we need from you
- The mark. Plain text for a name, an electronic image file for a logo.
- A description of the goods or services you offer under the brand, so we can suggest and search the right classes. A link to your site is enough.
- The owner’s full name and a physical address.
- Invoicing details.
If you want the detail
What to file: word mark or logo
Most clients file both, because they do different jobs.
A word mark is the name or slogan on its own, independent of any design. It gives the broadest protection, because it covers the name in any font or styling. This is usually first prize.
A logo is an image, or a name in a particular font and design. It protects the visual elements together with any words in them.
A logo can also be easier to register. The examiner compares marks as a whole, so the design elements can carry an application past an earlier similar name that would have blocked the bare word. Where a search turns up a close earlier mark, filing the logo first is often the way to get something on the register while the name is dealt with separately.
And it stops a copier the word mark cannot reach. Someone using a different name in your get-up is not caught by a word mark. MOCA MOCA is not confusingly similar to COCA COLA as words – but presented in the Coca-Cola script and livery, it may well be.
The reverse holds too: a logo registration does not protect the name in a different font. That is why filing both is the usual answer, and why filing only one is a decision worth making deliberately.
Almost anything capable of visual representation can be a trade mark: slogans, packaging, certain product shapes, labels, patterns, even colours. If you are unsure what to file, ask and we will tell you.
The timeline, stage by stage
- Filed and numbered
- 1–3 days
- Examiner’s report
- 8–12 months
- Response, if one is needed
- within 3 months
- Advertised in the Patent Journal
- 1 month
- Opposition window
- 3 months
- Certificate
- 1–9 months
Fees that can arise, and when
- Examiner raises a query
- R1,650 first class, R600 each additional
- A disclaimer or association is required
- R900 first class, R350 each additional
- Arguing a provisional refusal
- R1,350–1,950 per hour
- Someone opposes
- quoted on the facts
- Renewal, after ten years
- R2,700 first class, R1,900 each additional
No firm can promise none of this happens. We can promise you will not be charged for anything without being asked first.
✅ Thank you - your request has been received
We’ve saved your submission and added it to your cart.
Let’s begin your trade mark search
Share your contact details, trade mark name and goods or services, and choose the search you need before you confirm: Focused (R2,750, 2–3 business days), Comprehensive (R5,500, 6–8 business days) or Marketplace + Comprehensive (R8,990).
Selected: {{ searchTier.name }} – R {{ searchPrice.toLocaleString('en-ZA') }}. Confidential. Attorney-reviewed.
✅ Ready to file your trade mark? You can do both. Start the Filing Process
Confirm your search request details.
👤 Contact
Name: {{ contactName }}
Email: {{ email }}
Trademark
Name: {{ tmName }}
Description: {{ goodsServices }}
Which search?
🔍 About the search
An attorney-conducted search of the South African Trade Marks Register in your main classes and the related ones, with a written opinion.
- ✔️ Identical and highly similar marks, in your main classes and the related ones
- ✔️ Short written opinion: the obstacles, the likely outcome, how to file around them
- ✔️ PDF report; turnaround 2–3 business days
- ✔️ Everything in the comprehensive search
- ✔️ Domain names, the CIPC company register and marks in use but not registered
- ✔️ Opinion on registrability and on infringement risk; turnaround 6–8 business days
- ✔️ Everything in the focused search, taken considerably wider
- ✔️ Full report: every relevant mark graded, the state of the register, a filing strategy
- ✔️ PDF report; turnaround 6–8 business days
📄 See an example search report – an actual report, with the client’s details removed.
What trade mark should we search for?
Enter all words, letters and numbers that appear in your mark.
What goods or services will the trade mark be used for?
Link to a website page describing these goods or services.
Let’s apply to register your trade mark
We’ll collect your contact and owner details, trade mark name and what goods or services you offer.
Filing fee: R {{ singleMarkCurrentCost }} per class.
Optional search: from R2,750 for an attorney-led legal risk report.
👀 Not ready to file? Request an Availability Search Only
Who will own the trade mark?
What goods or services is the brand used for?
Link to a website page describing these goods or services.
What are you protecting?
Enter all words that appear in your mark. Leave blank if the logo has no text.
Click to upload your logo
PNG, JPG • Max 4MBSelect your trademark classes
You can select more than one class. Pick the ones that apply best to your product.
BrandLaw AI is generating suggestions - it usually takes up to 30 seconds...
Our AI suggested {{ reportAIPrimaryClassCount }} classes based on your description. Adjust below if needed — our attorneys will confirm before filing.
You’ll be charged for {{ unsureClassCount }} classes now. Final class numbers may adjust after attorney review.
Would you like a full trademark search?
Recommended to avoid rejections and additional costs later.
Review and confirm your details
👤 Contact
Name: {{ contactName }}
Email: {{ email }}
Phone: {{ phone }}
Applicant
Name: {{ applicantName }}
Address: {{ applicantAddress }}
Trademark
Type: {{ markTypeLabel }}
Name: {{ tmName }}
Goods/Services
{{ goodsServices }}
🔍 Search Option
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Classes
You selected “I’m not sure”. An attorney will confirm best-fit classes before filing.
Estimated: {{ unsureClassCount }} class(es)
- {{ c.number }} {{ c.description }}
Total: {{ finalReviewClasses.length }} class(es)
