Trademark registration for startups in Gurgaon: classes, costs and timing

Gurgaon builds companies fast, and names travel faster than incorporation paperwork. Here’s the trademark playbook we walk founders through, usually in one coffee.

File earlier than feels necessary

Your rights date from the filing date. Before launch, before the domain buy announcement, before the Product Hunt post, the application should be in. India is first-to-file in practical effect: the founder who files second inherits the opposition, whatever the moral history.

The classes startups actually need

SaaS: Class 42 (the software service) usually paired with Class 9 (the downloadable app). D2C product brands: the product class, 25 for apparel, 3 for beauty, 30 for foods, plus Class 35 for your online store. Fintech: 36 with 42 and 9. Edtech: 41 with 42. Marketplaces: 35 and 42. Run your model through the class finder, then pressure-test the result against your eighteen-month roadmap: government fees are per class, and the right answer is the classes you’ll genuinely trade in, no fewer, no more.

The concessional fee is real money

DPIIT-recognised startups and Udyam-registered small enterprises pay ₹4,500 per class instead of ₹9,000 (indicative, verify at ipindia.gov.in). If you’re eligible and not using it, you’re tipping the government. The certificate takes minutes to obtain and halves every class you file.

File in the right owner’s name

The classic mistake: the mark sits in a founder’s personal name while the company raises money. Diligence flags it every time, and fixing it mid-round means a hurried assignment at the least convenient moment. Decide deliberately, usually the company, and file there from day one.

Budget for the journey, not the form

Plan for: search and filing now; possibly an objection reply in months 4–10 (no government fee, professional drafting only); registration typically inside 8–18 months; renewal in year ten. The full ledger is on the fees page. It is, by a wide margin, the cheapest asset on your cap table.