A trademark application may be rejected by the Indian Trademark Office for reasons specified in Sections 9 and 11 of the Indian Trademarks Act. The main causes are when trademarks are too broad and descriptive, don’t have enough originality, or conflict with already-registered or pending trademarks.

Objections Under Section 11:

This section concerns objections related to the similarity between the proposed trademark and existing trademarks.

• Identical Marks: For instance, applying for “KOLA” as a beverage trademark when “KOLA” already exists in the same category would invite an objection due to the same names.
• Similar Sound: An application for “HELLOMYL” for candy products might be objected to if “HELLOMYL” is already registered in the same sector because of the similarity in sound.
• Similar Concept: Applying for “YesSolutions” for a tech company might clash with an existing “YesPro” mark since both suggest similar concepts.

Objections Under Section 9:

This section focuses on trademarks that might be too obvious, lack a unique character, or could be misleading.

• Descriptive Terms: A trademark like “NatureJuice” for juice products could face objection because it directly describes the product.
• Lack of Distinctiveness: It might be argued that registering a furniture design that is merely a square or another basic geometric shape lacks originality.
• Deceptive or Misleading: Brands that might falsely represent their products, such as “OrganicProducts” for a skincare range with non-organic ingredients, could face objection due to potential consumer deception.