Trademark Protection with DÉCODE

REQ registration only protects your name in Quebec to avoid confusion with another registered company. It is not trademark protection. A trademark registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) gives exclusive rights to use that name, logo, or slogan across Canada for 10 years, renewable. To truly protect your commercial identity, trademark registration is essential.

Ideally as early as possible, and if possible before or just after your incorporation. In Canada, the first filer has priority. If you are building a brand for commercial use, waiting for others to file before you is a real risk. The process generally takes 12 to 18 months to complete.

Decode conducts prior art searches in CIPO databases and other registries to identify similar or identical marks already registered. This step is crucial before naming your company, launching a product, or investing in a visual identity. Using an already registered mark can expose your business to a cease-and-desist demand, even if you registered your name with the REQ.

Lexstart focuses on corporate procedures. Trademark filing is a distinct process requiring IP specialization: prior art searches in Canadian and international databases, risk analysis, drafting product and service descriptions, filing with CIPO, and monitoring the examination process. Decode specializes in this area.

A trademark protects a name, logo, or slogan identifying your business or products. A patent protects an invention (new and useful product or process) for 20 years but requires detailed public disclosure. Copyright automatically protects original works (text, code, music, art) without registration, though registration facilitates legal recourse. Decode can guide you toward the most appropriate protection for your situation.

Yes. Decode covers the full IP spectrum: trademarks, patents, copyright, industrial design protection, and non-disclosure agreements in an IP context. If your business creates something unique (technology, design, process, innovation), a consultation with Decode to identify what can be protected is a strategic step.

Yes. Decode supports Quebec entrepreneurs and businesses in protecting their intellectual property in Canada and internationally. The team understands the specific challenges of startups and growing SMEs looking to secure their commercial identity and innovations from the earliest stages of development.