A trademark is any word, name, logo, symbol, slogan, sound, colour, or combination thereof that identifies and distinguishes the goods or services of one business from those of others. In India, trademarks are governed by the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and registration is administered by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. While trademark rights can arise through prior and continuous use in the marketplace, registration confers significant advantages including a statutory presumption of ownership, an exclusive right to use the mark in relation to the registered goods or services, and the ability to take legal action against infringers.

A registered trademark is valid for ten years from the date of application and can be renewed indefinitely in successive ten-year periods, making it one of the few intellectual property rights that can last in perpetuity. Trademarks are registered across 45 internationally recognised classes 34 for goods and 11 for services under the Nice Classification system, and a single application may cover multiple classes. Beyond traditional marks, Indian law also recognises non-conventional trademarks such as sound marks, colour marks, and three-dimensional marks, reflecting the evolving nature of brand identity in modern commerce.