Ancient History of Trademark
Although it is difficult to pinpoint the precise moment the first trademark appeared, one of the first documented examples was created in 5000 BC. People in China at the time were producing ceramics with the name of the ruling Chinese emperor. Along with the name of the individual who made each piece, the pottery also displayed the area in which it was made. Early trademark examples were frequently connected to the terms of the owners or manufacturers of particular commodities. Although some of the earliest trademarks date back as far as 5000 BC, the distinguishable marks were not what is now considered a trademark. Pottery from Transylvania bears those historic hallmarks.
The definition of the word “hieroglyphs” offers another perspective on the history of trademarks. The book “Hieroglyphica” was written by the Greek Egyptian Hellenistic author Horapollon. He claimed that hieroglyphs were not parts of the local language but served as ideograms that communicated ideas in this book. Demotic writing was first discovered in 660 BC, at the beginning of the 26th dynasty, as he detailed in his book. In emblematic science, the examples from the book became more prevalent and noticeable. For instance, he discussed the significance of the Phoenix bird.
King Edward the First instituted a new law in the 12th century that forbade jewellers from selling their creations unless each one was marked with a stamp from the Goldsmith’s Hall, the imperial office in London. It was punishable by death for any jeweller who attempted to create a fake hallmark. Between the 13th and the 16th centuries, European traders and merchants used a personal mark known as a merchant mark. A merchant’s signature, which typically included the trader’s name, served as a warranty of the quality of the goods purchased. A merchant mark is thought to be the earliest type of modern trademark.
First registered trademark in world history
The “BASS & Co’s PALE ALE” trademark was first registered on January 1, 1876, in the United Kingdom and is regarded as the first trademark ever.
This may be the oldest and first trade mark registration in the entire world because the UK’s Trade Mark Registration Act, 1875, is among the oldest trade mark law statutes.
The historic Bass Brewery, which William Bass established in England in 1777, used the mark. The brewery’s flagship beer, Bass Pale Ale, once held the title of the most popular beer in the UK. One hundred forty-four years later, the application with the class 32 registration number UK 00000000001 for pale ale is still in force. Pioneer Brewing Company Limited presently owns the trademark registration.
One employee of Bass waited all night outside the Registrar’s office on New Year’s Eve in 1875 to make Bass Red Triangle the first trade mark ever to be filed for registration on the morning of January 1, 1876 (the date the act came into effect), making the brand the very first to obtain a first trade mark registration in the UK.
First registered trademark in Indian history
There is no known history of the first trademark registered in India. The earliest brand that can be identified is, however, trademark No. 10, which was given to James Buchanan & Company Ltd. by the Kolkata Trademark Office on June 1, 1942, for the mark BLACK AND WHITE (a device). It is a British company involved in the manufacture of whiskey. This mark has been renewed and is valid until July 1, 2016.
A trademark application for an architectural design has never been made since the Trademark Act was enacted in 1999, even though brand names, logos, colour schemes, and sounds are frequently registered.
The famous Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai established itself as India’s first design trademark. With this registration, the 114-year-old structure becomes the first in the nation. In addition to the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Sydney Opera House, the hotel, which has been a defining feature of Mumbai’s skyline, has joined an exclusive group of properties that have been granted a trademark status worldwide.
Trademarks have a long history dating back to the early days of commerce. The British Parliament passed the first law governing trademarks in 1266. bakers were required to mark each loaf of bread differently. Today, the value of trademark registration has grown to the point where these services can be purchased online.
Today’s market places a high value on trademarks as intellectual property. The secret to success is creating a unique brand identity that customers remember forever. Protecting your brand’s distinctiveness at all costs is the first step toward success.
