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Trademark can get confusing quickly. If you're looking to protect your brand, it's a good idea to have an understanding of what you're getting into.
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Here are 8 common questions about trademark, what it is, and how to protect your brand name and logo.
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A trademark protects words, phrases, symbols, or designs made to identify a distinguishable source of a good or service.
A copyright covers original works of authorship, such as a book, song, or movie.
A patent protects unique inventions and discoveries.
You can attempt to copyright, patent, or trademark something on your own, but I'd recommend you consult an attorney or use an online service like LegalZoom to avoid potentially costly mistakes.
A trademark (™) means one of the following:
A Registered Trademark (®) is a trademark that has been filed and granted at the federal level.
Registering your trademark provides several advantages, for example:
If you'd like to register a trademark yourself, check out the steps outlined here.
However, trademark registration is a complex beast. Because of this, I'd recommend consulting an intellectual property attorney, or using an online service like LegalZoom to register your trademark.
It's not just me, even the USPTO recommends you seek legal advice.
Trademark registration fees are as follows:
This doesn't include any attorney fees. You can register your trademark with LegalZoom for $199 plus the filing fees mentioned above.
There are a number of steps to take in order to keep your trademark, which include the following:
You can find more info on this here.
When you register a trademark, you register it with a class or classes of products and/or services that you intend to use the trademark for.
So, while you can use your trademark for anything, your trademark protection is limited to the class or classes included in your registration.
Yes. If you abandon your trademark, the USPTO can cancel it. Your trademark is considered abandoned if you fail to use your trademark for three consecutive years, or fail to file the required documents to keep your trademark.