Assignment & Licensing Of Trademarks In India

Just as in the case of physical property such as land, every owner of a Brand or Trademark has the right to sell, license, transfer, etc. its respective brand or trademark in accordance with legal procedures. A brand or Trademark owner can transfer his rights with respect to his trademark either by way of assignment or by licensing. In India, The Trade Marks Act, 1999 deals with assignment as well licensing of trademarks.

To put it summarily, in case of an assignment of a trademark, there is a change in the ownership of the registered brand and in case of licensing, the right in the trade mark continues to vest with the original owner but only few restricted rights to use the brand/mark are given to the third party.