The Vienna Classification is an "international classification of
the figurative elements of marks". The classification scheme
was developed to help intellectual property professionals describe
the appearance of visual devices ("marks"). The classification
was first introduced in 1973. The current version is the fourth
edition, which was published in 1998. The Vienna Classification
is managed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
WIPO's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about the Vienna Classification
is at http://www.wipo.org/classifications/en/vienna/about/vienna.html
The full text of the Vienna Classification, together with a useful
preface, are also available at http://classifications.wipo.int/fulltext/Vienna/enmain0.htm
The Nice Classification is an international classification scheme
for goods and services used by trademark professionals. All
registered trademarks must be classified using one or more of the
42 classes in the Nice classification. The classification
was first introduced in 1957. The current version is the seventh
edition, which was published in 1997.
RioBrand uses Nice classes to identify the areas of business with
which a brand is associated. If a brand is also a registered
trademark, then the user submitting the brand to the RioBrand repository
should specify the Nice classes used for the trademark registration.
Users submitting brands to the repository can also choose to allocate
Nice classes to brands which are not registered trademarks.
If you are submitting a brand to the repository and know your Nice
classes, you can enter them directly in the box provided.
Alternatively, you can use our "Nice wizard" tool to browse the
Nice Classification. Any codes you check in the tool will
be automatically copied into your brand submission details when
you click "done" in the tool.
The Quick Search function lets you search the RioBrand repository
without completing a detailed search form. Enter any keywords,
colours or brand names associated with your search in the box provided,
then hit "go".
If you enter more than one item in the search box, you must separate
the words with a comma (,). For example: sun, star, moon.
You can also search on phrases, for example: sea, flying fish.
Quick Search searches on all your search terms together.
So if you enter blue, star the system will look for brands that
include both blue and star. The
more items you enter in the search box, the fewer matches you will
get.
Searching is case-insensitive. This means that xyz
will also find XYZ, Xyz and so on.
The Smart Search function lets you search the RioBrand repository
by targeting specific attributes of brands. You can for example
search for all brands that use the colour green in Western
Europe and North America.
Smart Search searches on all your search terms together.
The more items you specify on the form, the narrower your search
will be.
Searching is case-insensitive. This means that xyz
will also find XYZ, Xyz and so on.
Brands for sale
The Brands for sale function provides details of all the brands
in the RioBrand repository that are available for sale.
To access the details of a brand that is available for sale, click
on the For sale icon. In the brand information window you will see
an Enquire option. Selecting this will enable you to contact the
brand owner.
Your Brands allows you to access details about all the brands you
have stored in the RioBrand repository. You can change any details
of your brands. You can also change any details of your user
account.
To access the details of a brand, click on the brand's thumbnail
image.
This is the first of the three steps you take to upload a brand to
the RioBrand repository.
The minimum information we need from you is the brand name
and brand owner. If you do not wish to add any more
information at this stage, you still need to hit "next step" on
this page, and on steps 2 and 3. If you do not go through
all the steps, your brand will not be entered successfully in the
repository.
The brand name is the word or phrase by which the brand
is known.
The brand owner is the rightful owner of the brand.
This may be yourself, a company you work for, or some other party
that you represent. Enter the name of the brand owner here,
even if it is yourself.
If you are uploading your brand image (strongly recommended),
click on "upload image". This will open a directory
window where you can select the image file you wish to upload.
Once you have chosen this file, the RioBrand system will copy the
file from your computer into the repository.
Users of Netscape browsers will notice that the directory window
defaults to displaying HTML files. Since you need to upload
a JPEG or GIF file, select "All Files [*.*]" in the directory window.
You will then be able to see all the files in your directory.
To upload a logo you will need an image file saved in
JPEG or GIF format. The ideal size is 200 pixels x 200
pixels although we can accept files up to 500 pixels x 500
pixels. If you want white space around your logo you
should include this on the image file (we do include some
in the system) When you save your files do not forget to
include the .gif and .jpg file extension or they will not
upload to RioBrand (JPEG files should be saved with
compression set to medium).
This is the second of the three steps you take to upload a brand to
the RioBrand repository.
All the items in this step are optional. However the more
items you complete, the more likely searchers are to find your brand.
Enter any keywords associated with the brand. These
can be words that refer to visual elements of the brand, for example
sun or hand. You can also use keywords to refer
to aspects of the product or service identified by the brand, for
example wine or drink.
The Vienna Classification is an international code scheme
for visual devices, covering every imaginable shape, symbol and
graphic association that could appear in a brand. We recommend
that users choose one or more Vienna codes in addition to keywords
when describing a brand.
If you don't know the Vienna codes for your brand, don't worry
- you are not alone! We've built a special tool which we call
our "Vienna wizard". This tool lets you explore the Vienna
Classification in an easy and intuitive manner. The tool also
lets you choose codes from the classification which are then automatically
copied into the Vienna Classification box.
Choose the colours that are used in your brand. If
your brand uses a colour with a special name that we haven't included
in our selection or colours, then enter the colour's name in other
colour.
You may also specify the colours of your brand as PANTONE®
colours. PANTONE® is the world's most widely used colour
specification system. Your brand designer will be able to
tell you the PANTONE® colours used in your brand.
This is the third and final step you take to upload a brand to the
RioBrand repository.
All the items in this step are optional. However the more
items you complete, the more likely searchers are to find your brand.
Select the regions in which you claim your brand is recognised.
The regions shown are based on definitions used by the World Trade
Organisation (WTO).
You may also select one or more countries within any region.
If you select a country, the region to which it belongs will become
checked if you have not already checked it. You can select
more than one country from a regional list by using control-click.
The base fee for your brand submission includes classification
in up to two regions. If you select more than two regions,
you will be charged an additional fee for each additional region.
You may select as many countries within a region as you wish without
additional charges.
You may also choose to mark your brand as global. There is
a different additional fee payable on brands marked as global.
Check the current fee structure.
You also have the option of choosing Nice Classification classes
for your brand. The Nice Classification is an international
classification scheme for goods and services used by trademark professionals.
Nice classes allow you to specify the areas of business with which
your brand is associated.
If you know your Nice classes, you can enter them directly in the
box provided. Alternatively, you can use our "Nice wizard"
tool to browse the Nice Classification. Any codes you check
in the tool will be automatically copied into your brand submission
details when you click "done" in the tool.
The base fee for your brand submission includes classification
in up to five Nice goods and services classes. If you select more
than five classes, you will be charged an additional fee for each
additional set of up to five classes. In other words, we charge
for additional Nice classes in bands.
Check the current fee structure.
This step also includes several items of supplementary information
which may be of interest to searchers. These items are the
trademark lawyer who manages the brand, the designer who created
the brand, and the date of first commercialisation of the brand.
If you are uploading a brand that is available for sale, select
yes in the Available for sale option. If the brand is not available
for sale leave this option blank or select no.
You need to create an account with us before you can upload brands
to the RioBrand repository. This form contains spaces for all
the information we need to set up your account. You will only
need to complete this form once. When you have successfully
created your account, you will be able to change any of your user
details at any time from within the RioBrand site.
We need information for every item marked with a star (*).
Enter the title you use with your name; for example Mr or Ms.
Please take particular care when entering your email address.
We'll use your email address to send you a special key to activate
your account. If we can't reach you by email, we can't activate
your account.
We also place your email address in the brand details of any brand
which you upload to the repository. This is so that searchers
can contact you if they have any queries about your brand.
You may choose any password. We recommend that your password
be at least six characters long and contain a mix of alphabetic
and numeric characters. Please enter your chosen password
twice in exactly the same format, so that we can be sure we have
recorded it correctly.
We might send you information about new RioBrand services in the
future, but if you'd rather not receive these messages then just
send a blank email to no_email@riobrand.com.
We won't give your email address to anyone else.
We ask you to read our User Agreement
before you sign up for an account. We'll show you the User Agreement
again and ask you to approve the agreement when you enter brands
into the repository.
You may also find some answers in the Frequently
asked questions.
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