Stage name registration with the INPI · SPD Advocacia

Singer, duo or band? Register your stage name with the INPI

Step-by-step guide for singers, duos and bands to protect the name used at shows and on music platforms. It also works for DJs and content creators. Follow the steps on your own or ask the firm for help.

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Why register

The name is only truly yours after registration

The law guarantees exclusive nationwide use of the trademark to whoever obtains registration with the INPI. Without it, someone else may register an identical or similar name in your field and prevent you from using it in shows, platforms and products.

Nationwide exclusivity

The registration is valid throughout Brazil, in the chosen class.

10 years

Validity period, renewable for equal periods without limit.

Someone else's name

Third parties' civil names, pseudonyms and stage names can only be registered with their consent.

Contracts and platforms

The certificate helps in negotiating with record labels and producers and in resolving disputes on social media.

Source: Law 9,279/1996 (Industrial Property Law), arts. 124, XV and XVI, 129 and 133.

Before requesting

How to build a brand that can be registered

Original

Distinctive name

Invented names, or names that do not describe the activity, are more likely to be registered and are easier to defend.

Distinctiveness

Avoid generic terms

Don't just describe the line of business

Expressions such as "Cantor Sertanejo" or "Banda de Forró" on their own cannot be registered, because they describe the service.

Law 9,279/1996, art. 124, VI

No one else's name

Avoid other people's names

Do not use the name of another artist, a well-known person or a famous brand, or anything similar to them.

Law 9,279/1996, art. 124, XV, XVI and XIX

Unique spelling

Always write it the same way

Use the same spelling in the application, on social media, on music platforms and in show contracts.

Consistent use

Social media and domain

Check availability

Before deciding, check whether the name is available on social media, platforms and as a website domain.

Additional search

Logo

Secure the rights to the design

If a designer created the logo, ask for a written assignment of the rights to you or your company.

Assignment agreement

Document list

What to gather for the request

Holder's details

Full name, CPF, ID document, address and email. For a company, CNPJ and articles of association.

Activity

In the application, the holder declares that they carry out the activity effectively and lawfully. Keep proof of use at hand, such as show promotions and profiles on the platforms.

Logo image

Mixed marks only: JPG file, at least 945 x 945 pixels (8 x 8 cm), 300 dpi, RGB colors and up to 2 MB.

Authorization

If the name belongs to another person, such as a family member, written authorization from that person or their heirs.

Band or duo

Agreement between the members stating who owns the name and what happens if someone leaves.

Power of attorney and exemption

Power of attorney, if the request is filed by a lawyer. CadÚnico proof or medical report, for those requesting a fee waiver.

Source: INPI Trademark Manual, item 3.5 (electronic filing via e-Marcas).

Step by step

How to register

Do a prior search. On the INPI portal, use the trademark search to see whether an identical or similar name already exists in your field. The search is free and keeps you from losing the fee on an application that would be denied.
Choose the type of mark. A word mark protects only the name, in any font. A mixed mark protects the name with the logo. For a stage name, the word mark usually gives the broadest protection.
Define the classes. Each line of business is a class in the Nice Classification, and each class is paid separately. For singers, the main ones are 41 (shows and entertainment) and 9 (music and videos on digital platforms). Classes 35 (advertising, common for influencers) and 25 (clothing, for those who sell products with the name) are also used.
Register with INPI and issue the GRU (fee slip). On the INPI portal, register and generate the payment slip for the registration application. Individuals and MEIs pay with a discount.
Fill out the application on e-Marcas. After paying, fill out the electronic form with the holder's details, the name, the type of mark and the activities in each class.
Follow the Industrial Property Gazette (Revista da Propriedade Industrial). The application is published in INPI's weekly gazette, and third parties have 60 days to file an opposition. INPI requirements also have response deadlines.
Receive the decision. If the application is granted, the registration is issued and is valid for 10 years from the grant.

Source: Law 9,279/1996, art. 158 (opposition deadline); INPI Trademark Manual.

How much it costs

INPI fees

R$ 440 per class

Individuals, MEI, ME and EPP, with a specification pre-approved by the INPI.

R$ 880 per class

Other companies, with a pre-approved specification.

One-time fee

Since September 2025, the application fee already includes the registration grant and the first 10 years.

Exemption

People registered in CadÚnico and people with disabilities may be exempt.

Amounts may change. Check the fee table on the INPI portal on the day you issue the payment slip. This page provides general information, and there is no guarantee that INPI will grant the registration.

Care

Mistakes that most often lead to denial

Similar name

Skipping the prior search

Names with similar sound or spelling in the same field are usually denied.

Law 9,279/1996, art. 124, XIX

Wrong class

Protecting the wrong field

Registering only for clothing and forgetting shows leaves the name unprotected in the main activity.

Nice Classification

Band

Holder undefined

In a band or duo, set out in writing who keeps the name if someone leaves. The registration can be held by a group company.

Agreement between members

Deadlines

Missed office action or opposition deadline

If you don't follow the INPI journal, the application may be shelved for lack of a response.

Industrial Property Journal (RPI)

+5 thousand cases handledTen years of law practicePractice before the STJ and the STFFeatured in G1, UOL, Estadão and TV Globo

Case review

Let's review your case

Answer the questions, one at a time. At the end you can attach documents, which go straight to a folder in the firm's Drive, and send the summary via WhatsApp. Everything is protected by attorney-client confidentiality.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I register my birth name as a trademark?

Yes, the person themselves can. What the law prohibits is registering another person's name without their consent.

Does having the Instagram profile guarantee the name?

No. A social media profile and a website domain do not give exclusive rights to the name. Only registration with the INPI does.

How long does it take?

It depends on the INPI queue and on whether there is an opposition or requirement. It usually takes months, but the application already secures your priority from the filing date.

Someone is already using my stage name. What now?

We can analyze who has used it longer, whether there is a registration and which measures apply, such as an opposition to the other party's application or a notice.

Can the firm file the request for me?

Yes. We do the search, choose the classes, file the application and follow it until the decision. The fee proposal comes in writing, before you hire us.