{"id":9888,"date":"2021-12-18T06:47:20","date_gmt":"2021-12-18T06:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/?p=9888"},"modified":"2021-12-18T06:49:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T06:49:25","slug":"know-about-fluid-trademarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About Fluid Trademarks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Fluid\nTrademarks are alterations of the already registered Trademarks which coexist\nwith them and are so made in an attempt to argue customer interest &amp;\nstrengthen brand loyalty.&nbsp; Such\nvariations generally retain some characteristics of the actual Trademark while\ncomprising new aspects. Hence, Fluid marks are marks that alter with time. The\nFluid Trademarks may be created by changing design, name, words, colour,\nsymbols, or any other element of the original mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nconcept of Fluid Trademarks is an absolute U-turn from the idea behind\ntraditional Trademarks, as the latter is based on the acceptance of steady\n&amp; consistent marks to make the products or services of the owner\ndifferentiable, while the former achieve customer engagement by giving\nenergetic, unique &amp; striking alternatives to the actual mark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3aaf6292a57\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3aaf6292a57\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Are_Fluid_Trademarks_Conventional_or_Non-Conventional_Trademarks\" title=\"Are Fluid\nTrademarks Conventional or Non-Conventional Trademarks?\">Are Fluid\nTrademarks Conventional or Non-Conventional Trademarks?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Is_it_Possible_to_register_Fluid_Trademarks_as_Series_Trademarks\" title=\"Is it Possible\nto register Fluid Trademarks as Series Trademarks?\">Is it Possible\nto register Fluid Trademarks as Series Trademarks?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Documents_Required_for_the_Registration_of_Fluid_Trademark_Registration\" title=\"Documents\nRequired for the Registration of Fluid Trademark Registration\">Documents\nRequired for the Registration of Fluid Trademark Registration<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Process_of_Online_Fluid_Trademark_Registration\" title=\"Process of Online\nFluid Trademark Registration\">Process of Online\nFluid Trademark Registration<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Problems_Solutions_Regarding_Registration_of_Fluid_Trademarks\" title=\"Problems &amp;\nSolutions Regarding Registration of Fluid Trademarks\">Problems &amp;\nSolutions Regarding Registration of Fluid Trademarks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Well-Known_Examples_of_Fluid_Trademarks\" title=\"Well-Known\nExamples of Fluid Trademarks\">Well-Known\nExamples of Fluid Trademarks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Protection_of_Fluid_Marks\" title=\"Protection of\nFluid Marks\">Protection of\nFluid Marks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/know-about-fluid-trademarks\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Fluid_Trademarks_Conventional_or_Non-Conventional_Trademarks\"><\/span>Are Fluid\nTrademarks Conventional or Non-Conventional Trademarks?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fluid\nmarks are different from Conventional trademarks because they repeatedly\nchange, whereas later are inactive with which customers identify them easily.\nJudiciary has recognised protection to other variants of Trademark. However,\nneither any law recognises the Registration of all Fluid Trademarks in a single\napplication, nor does any law recognises the improving of original Trademark\ninto Fluid Marks to incorporate exceptional cases like Covid-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike\nother Non-Conventional Trademarks, Fluid Marks don&#8217;t face any problem in\nRegistration as Fluid Trademarks can be graphically presented. However, the\nbrand doesn&#8217;t prioritise Fluid Marks Registration as it is only for the time\nbeing &amp; Registration via a separate application would take time. Moreover,\nvarying Fluid Marks might create confusion and discard the original mark.\nHence, Fluid Marks get security through the action of passing off and are\nregarded as Non-Conventional Marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_Possible_to_register_Fluid_Trademarks_as_Series_Trademarks\"><\/span>Is it Possible\nto register Fluid Trademarks as Series Trademarks?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Series\nTrademarks comprise a variety of Trademarks, concerning the similar products or\nservices or their explanation, which similar to each other as to their unique\ncharacters and differ only as to matters of a non-uniqueness character not\nconsiderably affecting the Trademark\u2019s identity<strong><em>. McPizza, McChicken, and McPizza<\/em><\/strong>\nare some examples of Series Trademarks of McDonald&#8217;s most popular food provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hence,\nany changes in the non-distinctive elements of each mark must leave their\nvisual &amp; conceptual idea primarily unaltered. Such a series of Trademarks\nmay be registered as a series in a single registration. Thus, the <strong><em>Series\nTrademark&#8217;s provision under Section 15<\/em><\/strong> is applicable only if all the\nvariants to be used for illustrating the Trademark can be predicted. So, even\nthough, to an extent, this provision explains the concept of Fluid Trademarks,\nthe robust nature of a Fluid Mark is an obstruction on the lane of Fluid Marks\nRegistration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the proposed Section doesn&#8217;t permit updating the Trademark application into a series Trademark after the single <a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/trademark-registration\" class=\"text-primary\"><strong>Trademark Registration<\/strong><\/a> has taken place. Hence, it is clear that Section 15 doesn&#8217;t account for the dynamic and unanticipated nature of Fluid Trademarks &amp; as an outcome, the present position of India concerning Series Trademark Registration doesn&#8217;t satisfactorily apply to Fluid Trademarks also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Documents_Required_for_the_Registration_of_Fluid_Trademark_Registration\"><\/span>Documents\nRequired for the Registration of Fluid Trademark Registration<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Any\nindividual who claims to be the owner of a Trademark to be used by them apply\nfor the Registration to the Registrar by providing the following documents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Identity proof of the applicant\nsuch as PAN Card, Aadhar Card, Passport, etc.;<\/li><li>Address proof of the applicant\nor Trademark owner;<\/li><li>Signed <strong><em>Form-48<\/em><\/strong> (This form is\nused to provide an attorney with authorisation to file your Trademark\napplication);<\/li><li>If it\u2019s a company or LLP,\nsubmit Incorporation Certificate;<\/li><li>Logo if available &amp;\napplicable;<\/li><li>Submit Udyog Aadhar\nRegistration Certificate;<\/li><li><strong><em>Form TM-A.<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ndocuments can be served personally by post, by the host, electronically. All\nnotices, statements, applications, or other documents except Trademarks, must\nbe typewritten and printed in English or in Hindi in clear characters with deep\npermanent ink upon strong paper of A4 or lawful size on one side only and must\nhave on the left-hand side thereof a margin of not less than 4 cms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Process_of_Online_Fluid_Trademark_Registration\"><\/span>Process of Online\nFluid Trademark Registration<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\nis already clear that the model of a Fluid Mark is registered to furnish an\nextra layer of protection to them. A single application is filed for Trademark\nRegistration for various classes of products or services, but the fee will be\napplicable for each class. Before applying for their Trademark Registration is\nidentical to any other Trademark or is unique, or can request initial advice by\nthe Registrar as to the uniqueness (<strong><em>Section 33 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999<\/em><\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Following\nis the online process of Fluid Trademark Registration:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>First, visit the official\nwebsite of the government for online filing Trademark applications to register.\nRegistration of Fluid Marks can be done by the agent, owner, or attorney;<\/li><li>After Registration, the mail is\nsent to be provided Email ID containing information like <strong><em>User ID &amp; Password<\/em><\/strong>;<\/li><li>Log in by using login\ncredentials;<\/li><li>After login, your user name and\nuser code will be shown on the header;<\/li><li>Then, click on \u201c<strong><em>New\nApplications<\/em><\/strong>\u201d and select file <strong><em>TM-A<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>Form<\/em><\/strong> and put the class\ninto the textbox &amp; submit. An application number is displayed;<\/li><li>Click on the close link, then\ngo to the <strong><em>Drafted Application List<\/em><\/strong>;<\/li><li>Click on the <strong><em>Edit<\/em><\/strong>\nbutton, then open the Form TM-A and fill all the fields along with the digital\nsignature;<\/li><li>After uploading the sign\nsuccessfully, then go to the payment section and click on Make Payment by\nselecting the particular application.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In\ncase of Trademark Registration already in use, the application must include a\nstatement of the period during which &amp; the person by whom it has been used regarding\nall the products or services. In case the utilisation of the Trademark is\nclaimed prior to the application date, the applicant shall file an affidavit to\ntestify such use along with relevant documents. Every mark in the series\nTrademark application must have the same products or services description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Problems_Solutions_Regarding_Registration_of_Fluid_Trademarks\"><\/span>Problems &amp;\nSolutions Regarding Registration of Fluid Trademarks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From\nour previous discussion, we can conclude that there are some problems that\narise with the Fluid Trademarks Registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Such Trademarks are vibrant and are short-lived, and the owners of brand revert to their actual Trademarks once their altered Trademarks is no longer pertinent (like the changes made by <strong>BMW<\/strong><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmw.in\/en\/index.html\" class=\"text-primary\"><strong>[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/sup>, McDonald&#8217;s);<\/li><li>Even if the changed mark is registered, it is unlikely that it will be used authentically after the Registration, and so the mark can be revoked due to non-use;<\/li><li>Fluid Marks work better for well-known brands. Otherwise, the purpose of creating the variations would be defeated;<\/li><li>It would be enormously hard for the brand owner to challenge 3<sup>rd<\/sup> party infringements when the mark is subject to regular changes, and no consistent use of variations of the mark has been established;<\/li><li>Not to forget, Registration &amp; renewal of all Trademark variants will be an expensive affair.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Owing\nto these reasons, Fluid Mark Registration is not a priority of the owner, as a\nTrademark Registration is in itself a lengthy, burdensome procedure. So what\u2019s\nthe solution because the mark still has to be safeguarded against infringement\n&amp; passing off?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Register the template and only\nalter the internal elements of the mark to create a Fluid Mark. Hence, each\nvariation, including a Fluid Trademark, should maintain the recognising\ncharacteristics of the registered template mark, like colour combination or\nstylised way of writing;<\/li><li>Continue using the original\nmark in its original form when adopting a Fluid Mark. This will confirm that\nthe actual mark is not revoked for non-use;<\/li><li>Before adopting a Fluid Mark,\nmake sure that the actual Trademark is robust and famous so that the public can\nconnect the Fluid Mark with the original mark and at the same time recognise\nthe changes made, thereby increasing the fame &amp; strength of the brand;<\/li><li>Carry out an &#8220;Availability\nSearch&#8221; before using a new variety of an actual mark to make sure that it\ndoesn&#8217;t violate any 3<sup>rd<\/sup> party\u2019s Trademark Rights;<\/li><li>Draft terms of usage that cover\n&#8220;<strong><em>Rules for Proper Usage<\/em><\/strong>&#8221; for your mark, to permit the use\nof the mark in a definite way that is subject to specific requirements;<\/li><li>Have a clear enforcement\nstrategy comprising strategies for observing the brand in the market &amp;\nexamining infringers.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>As\nFluid Marks are created at various points, it is good to file separate\napplications for each Fluid mark if the brand owner desires to register them.\nIn a case, the owner of a Trademark must be capable of clear with the scope of\nthe Fluid Mark variation over which it claims rights. Nevertheless, in India,\nunregistered Trademarks can be safeguarded by filing a suit for passing off\naction, and thus, the owner can still implement their rights. This was well\nestablished in the instance of <strong><em>Joy Creators vs Proctor &amp; Gamble<\/em><\/strong>,\nwherein the Delhi High Court held that a mark or logo doesn&#8217;t need to be a\nreplica of the registered Trademark to constitute infringement. According to\nthe court, if the plaintiff succeeds in proving that the mark adopted by the\ndefendant resembles their mark in a substantial amount, it shall be enough.\nThough there are no cases on Fluid Trademarks in India, the following case in\nthe United States is deemed as one of the most vital regarding the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Well-Known_Examples_of_Fluid_Trademarks\"><\/span>Well-Known\nExamples of Fluid Trademarks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>Google Doodles<\/em><\/strong>:\nAlmost everyone is aware of how the homepage of Google changes almost every day\nas per any festival or big event that must have taken place on a specific day.<\/li><li><strong><em>Amul Girl<\/em><\/strong>:\nThe famous Indian logo in the Amul brand is used regularly to create\nparodies\/commentary of any political\/social topic relevant to the society at\nthe time.<\/li><li><strong><em>Covid<\/em><\/strong>&#8211;<strong><em>19\nRelated Changes<\/em><\/strong>: Many brands altered their logos at the time of the\nCovid-19 pandemic, like McDonald, Audi, and BMW spaced out their logos to\nspread awareness of social distancing.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Protection_of_Fluid_Marks\"><\/span>Protection of\nFluid Marks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well-Known\nTrademarks need to accept a well thought out plan while adapting Fluid Marks.\nThey need to regard whether they desire to register a Fluid Mark and how they\nwant to observe and implement their Fluid Marks. For capturing the core of a\nFluid Mark for a Trademark application, the applicant or Trademark owner will\nhave to explain each of the different variants of the mark. In the US, the <strong><em>Trademark\nManual of Examining Procedure<\/em><\/strong> set up the modified mark must comprise\nwhat the original mark&#8217;s essence is, and the new form must create the\nimpression of being essentially the same mark. The law concerning this is\nrelatively new &amp; there is further scope for its progression also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is clear that Fluid Trademarks are beneficial. These Trademarks are more eye-catching than a static Traditional Trademark; they serve as a dynamic marketing weapon, maintain the customers&#8217; interest in the brand, and not to forget, they spread awareness by interacting with the buyers. Hence, the fact that there is no legal protection afforded to Fluid Trademarks under the Indian Statutes other than the common law remedies establishes that there is a dire need for an addition in the present laws for protection against infringement of such Trademarks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Protection against violation of their marks, irrespective of their nature, is a priority for owners as it can otherwise create considerable losses to the reputation and goodwill of the business. Since the altering nature of Fluid Marks is difficult to be safeguarded, so it is vital to focus on the core Trademark on which the fluid variations have relied; so that the Fluid Marks concerning that primary Trademark will be easily safeguarded &amp; recognised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-left\"><b>Read our Article<\/b>:<mark style=\"background: #fffd03 !important;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/dilution-doctrine-under-trademark-law\/\">Dilution Doctrine under Trademark Law: An Overview\n<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fluid Trademarks are alterations of the already registered Trademarks which coexist with them and are so made in an attempt to argue customer interest &amp; strengthen brand loyalty.&nbsp; Such variations generally retain some characteristics of the actual Trademark while comprising new aspects. Hence, Fluid marks are marks that alter with time. The Fluid Trademarks may [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72],"tags":[942],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9888"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9888"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9908,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9888\/revisions\/9908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}