We noticed that in recent legal cases dealing with format infringement, companies sometimes mix up trademark registrations and format registrations. A trademark registration is a final proof that you are the sole and original owner of a certain brand or logo because there is a worldwide register of trademarks where trademarks can be checked and approved. A format registration is different.
You can register your format via the FRAPA Format Registration System (FRS), but this system does not check if this format is already registered. It does, in other words, not confirm ownership or creative originality. A registration of your format in the FRS provides you with a specific date of registration.This date is the most important result of the registration, as this is one of the steps in our 20 steps process on how to protect a format. The registering person or company owns what they register. But if it seems not be original, the date can prove that the format is second to the original.
More information about our FRS. Also see our FAQ.
