As a first-time author or an author of several books, the topic may be a bit confusing. A book series is different from a series of books. An author may have penned a series of books like Chetan Bhagat has, but it will not constitute a book series like the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi.
An author who has invested time, energy and creativity in penning and promoting his book series would naturally like to protect the same from being copied and taken advantage of. One way to go about it would be to trademark the book series title, protecting the author against copying and illegally using your title, which is protected by a trademark. Here are some examples of famous modern book series is
Inspector Gowda Series by Anita Nair: This crime fiction series includes “Cut Like Wound” and “Chain of Custody.” It follows the investigations of Inspector Gowda in Bangalore
Bharat Series by Ashwin Sanghi: This series includes “The Rozabal Line,” “Chanakya’s Chant,” and “The Krishna Key.” It is a blend of history, mythology, and a thriller.
Follow these steps to trademark a book series.
- Select the name of your series: Research to ensure that your book series name is unique and not already taken by another book.
- Conduct a trademark search: A surefire way is to check the INDIANPTO database to ensure that your series title is not already taken.
- File the application: Submit your trademark book application for the book series with the Indian Patent and Trademark Office (INDIANPTO).
- Track the progress: Monitor the status of your application and respond to any official questions.
- Achieve registration: Once approved, your series title will be officially trademarked.
Can I trademark a single book title?
If you are the author of a single book, it can safely be said that the INDIANPTO cannot trademark a single book title. As it does not consider a single book title to be a brand. However, the title of a book series can be trademarked; the INDIANPTO believes that as a brand. This said, the author of a single book does not automatically gain the right to copyright to his work on publishing the book but can also register the copyright to this book’s contents if they so wish.
What are the benefits of trademarking a book title or series?
The benefits of trademarking a book series are many:
- Brand protection: It helps protect your brand identity and prevents others from using a similar title.
- Legal recourse: You can take legal action against anyone who infringes on your book series trademark.
- Marketability: A trademarked title can enhance the marketability of your book series and related products.
Whether or not an author finally decides to trademark the book series, this decision should be well-informed. It is a result of understanding what it means to trademark a book series, the process involved, and the benefits accrued. Once he has this information, the decision to go ahead or not can be safely made.
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