Refund Policy

The short version

Our professional fee is fully refundable before we start work. Government fees are never refundable, because the government does not return them to us. Once work has begun, our fee is refundable only in proportion to what has not yet been done.

Two different fees

Every invoice we issue separates two amounts, and they are treated very differently.

• Government fee — a statutory amount paid to the Trade Marks Registry, Indian Patent Office, Copyright Office, MCA or another authority. We collect it from you and pay it across at cost.
• Professional fee — what we charge for our work: searching, drafting, classification, filing, replies and representation.

Government fees are not refundable

Once a government fee has been paid to a registry, it cannot be recovered. This applies without exception, including where:

• your application is objected to under any ground;
• your application is opposed by a third party;
• the application is refused, abandoned or withdrawn;
• you change your mind after filing;
• you decide to file a different mark, design or specification instead.

This is a rule set by statute, not a policy we chose. It is also exactly why we insist on running a clearance search before filing — the search costs a fraction of the government fee and tells you whether spending it is sensible.

When our professional fee is refundable

• Full refund — you cancel before we have begun substantive work. In practice this means before we have started the search, the drafting or the filing preparation.
• Partial refund — you cancel after some but not all of the work has been done. We refund the portion attributable to work not yet performed, assessed reasonably and explained to you in writing.
• Full refund — we are unable to provide the service for a reason attributable to us, or we decline the engagement after taking payment.
• Full refund of the relevant stage — we fail to file within an agreed deadline through our own error, and the deadline cannot be recovered.

When our professional fee is not refundable

• Work has been completed, whatever the registry outcome.
• An application is objected to, opposed or refused. An objection is a normal part of the process and does not indicate defective work — our Professional packages include the reply for exactly this reason.
• You did not respond in time to our requests for documents or instructions, and a deadline lapsed as a result.
• The information you provided was inaccurate or incomplete in a way that affected the filing.
• The registry is slower than the typical timelines shown on this website. Timelines depend on registry workload and are outside our control.

How to request a refund

Email info@ashutrust.com with your name, invoice number, matter reference and the reason for the request. We acknowledge within two working days and give you a decision within seven working days. Approved refunds are processed to the original payment method within seven to ten working days.

Chargebacks

Please raise any concern with us before initiating a chargeback with your bank or card issuer. We would rather resolve it directly, and we are reasonable about it. Chargebacks raised without contacting us first may result in us declining future engagements.

Contact

Questions about this policy: info@ashutrust.com or +91 89600 00118.