10# THE BRAND NAME – VERSION 2.0 (OUR LAST WORD)

REGISTER A TRADEMARK

The name of the Coton brand found, then comes the time to check if the name is available.

(For those who want to know more, I make a small aside about the steps to register a trademark here in article 9# TRADEMARK REGISTRATION PROCEDURES IN FRANCE.)

So I enter the name Coton in the INPI database and launch the search.

When I discover the results it is a shock:

• Companies: 739
• Trademarks: 637
• Patents : 5278
• Designs : 2937

But I don’t despair, I say to myself: « If these trademarks don’t use the classes that I want to register, everything is fine ».

So I do an advanced search. I fill in the name of the brand and then the categories I thought of for the COTON application:

• 3 : Detergents
• 4 : Essential oils – Perfume
• 9 : Measuring instrument
• 21 : Household utensils
• 35 : Advertising

I click feverishly on Search…

And after the shock it’ s the coup de grace!

Unilever is 23 years ahead of me and has filed COTON under classification 3: Laundry since October 16, 1997.

NOSE TO NOSE WITH A DOG

Let me add a layer…

At the same time, I check the availability of the domain name « coton » for the future website in .fr and .com and there it is the mad laughter…

I fall nose to nose with a small white dog, a baby Coton! Yes… Someone had already registered the domain name coton .com to dedicate a site to them.

Definitely not Coton… So I’m back to looking for another name.

THE BRAND NAME: OUR LAST WORD

From that moment on, the ideas will jostle each other without ever erasing Coton which was already well installed in my head.

But you know the story so let’s stop the false suspense!

After all these brainstorms, it is always my childhood nickname that comes back: Marine Coton.

Then after checking the availability of the brand name in the INPI and TMview database as well as the availability of the domain name for the website the brand name is validated.

A few months later I receive the certificate of registration. Marine Coton is a registered trademark.

I now need a logo and a graphic charter…

To be continued…