Do you use your trade name:
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to promote your product (e.g. GIANT for bycicles)
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to advertise your services (e.g. MASTERCARD for credit cards)
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or logo (e.g. the COCA-COLA logo)
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as web address (e.g. www.philips.com)
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on social media (for example Apps.facebook.com/yourheineken)?
If so, then you use your trade name also as a trademark. By law, you have to register a trademark in order to obtain trademark protection. Otherwise, it is much more difficult to act against someone who abuses or imitates your trademark. Advantages of trademark registration is that your name is protected in the relevant territory, it is easier to act against imitation, Google will take measures against abuse of your mark in advertisements.
