Many business owners in Kenya make a fatal mistake: They register their Business Name or Company and assume their brand is protected. It is not.

Registration at the Company Registry only stops someone else from using your name. It does not stop a competitor from copying your Logo, Slogan, or Brand Colors. To protect your brand identity, you must register a Trademark with the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI).

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a unique identifier (Logo, Name, Slogan, or Sound) that distinguishes your goods or services from others. Think of the Safaricom "Green" or the Equity Bank "Logo"—no one else can use them because they are trademarked.

The Risks of Not Registering

  • Copycats: A competitor can open a shop next to yours, use a similar logo, and confuse your customers. Without a trademark, stopping them is difficult and expensive.
  • Loss of Rights: If someone else registers your logo before you do, they can legally force you to stop using it and even sue you for infringement.
  • Franchising: You cannot franchise or license your brand (e.g., opening branches managed by others) if you don't own the trademark.

The Registration Process

  1. Search: We conduct a search at KIPI to ensure no one else is using a similar mark.
  2. Application: We file Form TM2 with your logo artwork and class of goods (e.g., Class 25 for Clothing, Class 41 for Education).
  3. Examination: KIPI checks if the mark is distinctive (not generic like "Best Shop").
  4. Advertisement: The mark is published in the KIPI Journal for 60 days to allow for objections.
  5. Registration: If no objections, you get a Certificate valid for 10 years (renewable).

Protect Your Brand Today.
Don't let copycats steal your hard work. Contact Wanyoike & Partners to secure your Trademark rights.