The CGPDTM's January 2026 Notice on Online Trademark Platforms, Explained

On 7 January 2026, the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM) issued a notice addressing online platforms that solicit and advertise trademark registration services. Here's what the notice actually says, based directly on the official notice itself.

What the notice found

The notice's core finding is that online platforms soliciting or advertising trademark registration services constitutes solicitation and advertisement of legal services — which runs contrary to the Advocates Act, 1961's prohibition on advertising by legal practitioners. The notice reiterates that only Registered Trade Mark Agents or Advocates are authorised to represent applicants before the Registrar, as set out in the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and the Trade Marks Rules, 2017.

The legal backdrop

Two separate statutes are in play here. The Advocates Act, 1961 restricts how legal practitioners can advertise their services — a longstanding rule aimed at keeping legal services out of ordinary commercial solicitation and advertising. Separately, the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and Trade Marks Rules, 2017 specifically restrict who may act on behalf of an applicant before the Trade Marks Registrar to Registered Trade Mark Agents and Advocates. The CGPDTM's notice connects the two: platforms advertising trademark filing services online, the notice states, fall into the same category of prohibited legal-services advertising.

Which entities were named

The notice named the following online platforms (numbered 1–17 in the original, with one additional unnumbered entry):

1. onlinelegalindia.com
2. makenindia.com
3. lawpillars.in
4. indiafilings.com
5. e-startupindia.com
6. deenishlawchamber.com
7. corpbiz.io
8. companiesinn.com
9. cleartax.in
10. startupwala.com
11. uniqey.in
12. legalwiz.in
13. trademarkia.in
14. applytrademark.co.in
15. securetrademark.in
16. meraprofit.com
17. alonika.in
18. patntech.com (unnumbered in the original notice)

This list is reproduced directly from the notice for factual reference. NishaanWise is not named in it. We're not offering commentary on the quality of any of these platforms' services — only reporting what the notice itself states.

What this means for choosing who handles your filing

The notice's underlying legal point — that representation before the Registrar is restricted to Registered Trade Mark Agents and Advocates — is worth understanding regardless of the notice itself, because it affects who can actually stand behind your application if it's challenged. See our explainer on trademark agent vs. advocate for what that distinction means in practice, and do I need a lawyer to register a trademark in India for the practical answer.

This is general information about a published regulatory notice, not legal advice about any specific entity named in it.

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