Trademarks are among the most important assets of a company. When it is well looked after, it adds value to the business and to the product and service portfolio. Due to that, RNP strives to protect its trademarks, and recently registered three others with the Brazilian Industrial Property Institute (INPI): Rute, CAFe and ICPEdu. Thus, the organization has, including registrations and filings, 25 trademarks, 26 computer programs, one integrated circuit topographies and three patent applications, in addition to three technology licensing agreements.

“These three trademarks are of great importance to RNP and its portfolio, and registering them is the only way to legally protect them from possible fraudsters and competitors. That is why we went to the INPI to file for registration, which shall be examined pursuant to the Industrial Property Law and other administrative resolutions of the body”, New Business Management Analyst, Henrique Ferraz, explained.

Get to know the three recently registered trademarks

Rute: Telemedicine University Network, an initiative coordinated by RNP, intended to support the improvement of existing telemedicine projects and encourages the creation of future inter-institute works. The initiative provides communication service infrastructure, as well as a part of the IT and communication equipment for the research groups, promoting integration and connectivity, and disseminating R&D activities of the member institutions. The use of advanced network services shall promote the creation of new applications and tools that explore innovative mechanisms in health education, distance collaboration for pre-diagnosis and remote assessment of medical care data.

CAFe: Federated Academic Community is an identity management service that brings together Brazilian teaching and research institutions with the integration of their databases. That means that, by means of a single account, the users can access, from wherever they are, the services of their own institution and those offered by the other organizations that are part of the federation. This authentication eliminates the need for multiple access passwords and registration processes, generating a feeling of security. Distance education services, access to scientific publications and collaboration activities are among the greatest benefits.

ICPEdu: Public Key Infrastructure for Education and Research is the certification service that provides a ready-made infrastructure for the issuance of digital certificates and security keys. It became a part of RNP Advanced Service Catalogue in 2010, serving the Federal Higher Education Institutions (Ifes), the Research Units (UPs) and the other teaching and research institutions. It is made up of a group of five certification services – Corporate and Institutional Certificates, ICPEdu Infra, Pessoa ICPEdu and Servidor PGP – which have their own adhesion processes. In this manner, the institution can adhere to only one modality of the portfolio, or all of them.

Protecting the company’s interests

Pursuant to Law No. 9,279, which governs the trademark and patent concession and regime within the Brazilian territory, a trademark is any distinctive sign (word, figure and symbol), visually perceptible, which identifies and sets products and services apart from others, either equal or similar, whatever their origins. Thus, through the trademark, the business/product/service can be identified and set apart from the others by the clients and consumers.

The trademark ensures the owner’s right to exclusive use, throughout the Brazilian territory, which can be extended to 137 other countries, for Brazil is a member of the 1883 Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, in its segment of economic activity. If the innovative product or service is a success, the owner shall have the legal assurance of the right to explore and enjoy the benefits generated.