Followed by the Bombay Stock Exchange and Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in India, Osmania University is all set to obtain trademark rights for its Arts College Building facade. Established in the year 1918 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, Hyderabad’s Nizam, Osmania is known to be one of the oldest and largest universities in India. In an effort to protect the distinctive facade of its Arts College building, the university has applied for trademark registration as per the Indian Trademarks Act of 1999. Read on to learn more about the university’s determination to preserve the uniqueness of its architecture.
Peculiar Architecture of Osmania Arts College Building
The arts college of Osmania University was built in the 1930s and its architecture is based on the combination of Mughal and Qutub Shahi and best describes the specialty of Osmanian architecture/ Osman Shahi architecture. The architectural aspects such as the touch of Kakatiya, Ajanta, and Ellora styles, the usage of spectacular granite stones, and the breathtaking exterior design of the recessed semi-dome was initially sketched and planned by Ernst Jasper, a Belgian architect, was also followed by the architect, Zain Yar Jung. Such a magnificent construction remains an architectural inspiration to date. Hence the university has decided to protect the exterior design of its arts college building from being reproduced by any third parties. Osmania University is also known as the contemporary structure of architectural designs of buildings such as Osmania Hospital, Unani Hospital, High Court, etc. As we know, the trademark is an Intellectual Property protection law that helps people protect their rights to their properties. A trademark can be anything such as a name, logo, design, or slogan that uniquely represents a brand or service and it cannot be used by any other without the permission of the trademark owner. That’s the reason why Osmania University has filed a rademark for its art college building to protect its architectural heritage.
Cause of Osmania University’s Trademark Registration for Arts Building Facade
The splendid architecture of Osmania University’s arts building attracts everyone and has the possibility of being used for promotional or marketing services. Firms or institutions that have no association with Osmania can never use or reproduce the facade once the trademark is registered. Hence, G.B. Reddy, the IPR Chair of Osmania University, states that they have initiated this trademark registration process as a result of private institutions trying to use the facade forpromotional purposes. Also, he adds that the trademark rights will prevent any third. parties from using the university’s distinctive facade for their merchandise without the university’s permission or royalty payment.
As a result, the trademark has been registered for the exterior architecture of the Osmania University’s Arts College in accordance with the Indian Trademarks Act of 1999, under the guidance of Subhajit Saha, Trademark agent, IP practitioner, Internal Trade-IP Rights Chair and the Department for Promotion of Industry of the Osmania University.
Hereafter, if any party wants to use the image of Osmania University’s Arts College building for any marketing purposes or merchandise such as lockets, souvenirs, t-shirts, etc., they have to get approval from Osmania University or they should pay the royalty for using the university’s trademark. Any parties attempting to use or reproduce the trademarked Osmania University’s arts college buildings for their products will be subjected to trademark infringement. OU can file a lawsuit against them and the infringing party should pay the royalty to the university for the unauthorized usage of the trademarked property.
The Importance of Trademark Registration
The significance of trademark registration is unavoidable in protecting people’s rights to their properties. Once registered, a trademark is valid for an indefinite period if renewed once after every 10 years. If renewed in a timely manner, the trademark offers lifetime legal protection to your properties. Other than Osmania University’s arts college, buildings that are trademarked in the world are the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State, the Chrysler Building, the Opera House, and the Burj Khalifa. Similarly, in India, the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Bombay Stock Exchange have also trademarked their building structure to prevent others from reproducing their design without their approval.
Conclusion
The decision to register a trademark for the arts college facade by Osmania University represents the significance of protecting our intellectual properties from unauthorized usage. This major step of registering a trademark for their architectural design restricts other parties from using it and strongly establishes the university’s rights to use the building’s facade for their promotional or marketing purposes.
If you are looking for an IP firm that guides you through the processes of IP protection registration such as trademarks, copyrights, and patents, contact Brealant without further delay. Our attorneys will help you with the registration processes and are always ready to clarify your queries regarding IP protection!