Trademarks: History, Necessity and Cost - Essay Example

Over the last years, these signatures and marks have evolved to be recognized in laws world wide. The history of the origins of trademarks started with the circulation of goods .most marks have been traced by scientists to be from roman and Egypt ancient potters of religious products. The origin o trademarks came about as a result of competition among the artists. The demand for artistic goods lead to competition for the products and the artists had to encrypt their products for an identity. In the tenth century, the marks found in the goods were known as merchants’ mark which included symbols that increased the significance of symbols among merchants and traders.

The merchants’ mark came to be known as the proprietary marks that were used as a source of identification of ownership. As the trade continued the traders sought to use marks on their products to distinguish their high quality goods from low quality goods. The used of trademarks were common with the guilds who of the middle age so as to maintain and retain customers by winning their trust. The consumers used the trademarks to distinguish between characteristics of goods such as weight and materials.

Later in the middle age the use of merchants’ marks became compulsory or as an obligation for the traders. The obligation marks were used in the middle age to mark low quality of goods enforced by the guilds. These obligatory marks in the middle age were known as responsibility or police marks to identify low quality products. In the modern world, trademarks have evolved on a different of platform as distinction and identification evolves. The modern trade marks are as a result of the owners will to identify his products.

Although ancient products found in Rome and Egypt had symbols, it is difficult to classify these marks as trademarks. Trademarks have evolved with the development of society trade of goods. The circulation of goods of trade by the society has necessitated the identification of goods by individual as the trade gets bigger and bigger. The need to protect properties belonging to individuals has seen the development of laws to protect property. The law of trade marks can be seen as the law for the protection of intellectual properties.

Smith (1997) argues that the cost of trademarks is disclosed rarely. However in many occasions an estimate is given to trademarks. If an organization purchases trademark, the purchase price is the cost of the trademark. The prices of the trademark vary from one trademark to the next regarding the reputation of a name. The value of a trade name or trademark .a trademark comes into existence upon registration of the trademark. Before a trademark is registered a search must be conducted so as to know that the there is no other search by that name.

The search costs must be paid in order to protect the rights of the trademarks. The search can also be important in maintaining the protection of the trademark from imitations or fraudulent use of the trademark. The search can be done by a professional who will charge about one thousand to two thousand dollars. One of the most relevant costs of a trademark includes the legal costs and registration costs used in the registration of the trademark. (Carmichael & Graham, 2011). The registration of trademarks varies from gods and services.

A filling fee has to be paid upon the application of registration of a trademark. For example to