An Award-Winning, Women-Owned & Operated Law Firm
If you’re a business owner who sells things—goods or services—and you have a name associated with your products, you may consider filing a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
A trademark may be a word, phrase, design (logo), or sound (these are rare—imagine Darth Vader® breathing). A strong trademark helps your consumer quickly identify your business as the source of your goods/services: think Coke® for soft drinks or Apple® for computers.
Trademarks can be purchased, licensed, and sold just like any other property. It can be a very valuable asset to your business.
The benefit of owning a trademark is that it becomes part of a larger business strategy. Your trademark registration is your business property and it can be sold and licensed, just like any other business asset.
There are multiple advantages of owning a trademark, including:
Ideally, when you’re thinking of your business name, you should consider the trademark implications. A strong trademark is creative and unique; it should not be generic or descriptive of the products/services you’re selling. According to USPTO, “strong trademarks are suggestive, fanciful, or arbitrary.”
When a business considers a new slogan, tagline or product, this is also an ideal time to consider pursuing a trademark.
Start by conducting a trademark clearance search. A trademark search can help you, 1) see if a potential mark is already in use by someone selling similar goods/services or within your industry; 2) identify any potential risks of choosing a name or product name as a potential trademark; and 3) save you money from unsuccessful trademark application fees.
Registering your trademark is a complex process, and it can be costly without the help of an experienced advisor. Typically, the process takes 12 to 18 months to move your trademark application through the various stages.
There are two types of trademark applications: in-use and intent-to-use. Both application types are filed with your products/services identified and signify that you plan to use the mark for your business.
This type of trademark application demonstrates that you plan to use the mark at a future date.
After the application is filed, if no issues are raised by the trademark examiner, the mark moves to publication. Publication is a 30-day window where any trademark owner who believes they would be damaged by your mark can raise an opposition.
If no opposition arises from the 30-day window, a Notice of Allowance is issued. You have six months to show use (provide specimens) to the USPTO, also known as a Statement of Use filing.
Examples of products/goods specimens are photographs of the mark on your product, packaging, or a label. Services specimens include websites, marketing materials, business cards, sales pages, and promotional materials.
If the mark is not in use, you may file for an Extension of Time to file a Statement of Use (six months).
Once the Statement of Use specimens are accepted, the trademark application proceeds toward registration. If an examiner has issue with the application, they will issue an Office Action prior to Publication or upon the Statement of Use filing, depending on the issue.
This type of application is filed with proof of use (specimens) that show how you’re using the mark with the products/services you’re selling.
If an examiner has issue with the application, they will issue an Office Action prior to Publication or upon the Statement of Use filing, depending on the issue.
After the application is filed, if issues are raised by the examiner, the mark moves to publication, the same 30-day opposition window referenced above. If no opposition is raised, the mark then proceeds to registration.
The Geller Law Group’s experienced trademark attorneys are available to help you with all aspects of the trademark process to protect your business and your brand. Contact us today at trademarks@thegellerlawgroup.com to schedule an appointment.
Providing peace of mind through personal and prompt service as we help you navigate legal matters.
Schedule a consultationThe information contained in this website is provided to users for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, nor is the transmission or receipt of such information intended to create an attorney-client relationship between any Geller Law Group member and the user. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. As legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each client and case, and laws are constantly changing, nothing provided herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of retained legal counsel. Your continued use of this website constitutes your acceptance of this disclaimer and acknowledgement that under no circumstances shall The Geller Law Group be liable for any direct, indirect, special, consequential or any other damages arising out of or in any way connected with use of this website.