(a) The owner of timber property that the owner puts or intends to put into a coastal water, lake, river, creek, or other waterway of the state for the purpose of rafting or transporting by floating or towing, shall apply to the department for the exclusive use of a distinctive brand to identify it.
(b) The application shall be in writing and accompanied by an acceptable diagram or design on paper of the proposed brand, and the prescribed fee.
(c) The department shall promptly register the brand and issue a certificate of registration to the applicant granting the applicant the exclusive use of the brand for a period of five years. The department may not register a brand that is so similar in design to one presently registered in the name of another person that one brand is not clearly distinguishable from the other.