When starting a new business, you want your brand to stand out from the competition. Buying a trademark for business is a good way to protect your business from name or trademark disputes, while at the same time making your business stand out.
According to the USPTO (the United States Patent and Trademark Office), trademarks are used to identify and distinguish specific marks or logos related to products or services. A brand can be any name, symbol, design, sound or combination that defines and distinguishes your business. However, people often use the term “brand” to refer to both. Their main goal is to avoid consumer misunderstanding.
Registering a trademark for a company is an important step in protecting the trademark from abuse or theft. Registering a trademark is a fairly simple process that can be completed in a few simple steps.
This guide will guide you through every step required to register and register a trademark, and answer some general questions about registered trademarks.
So why registering a trademark for your business name is important?
As with any decision you must make as a business owner, deciding whether to use a trademark for your business can be difficult. Trademarks provide strong protection for your brand and give you the legal right to protect your brand from infringement. However, not all business owners need trademarks.
When you register your company as a trademark, you will get trademark protection in the United States. However, this is only possible when you register with the USPTO. If you register a trademark in that state, the trademark is only protected in that state or geographic area.
Official trademarks through the USPTO allow the ® symbol to be used with your logo, although not all forms of trademark require the use of the ® symbol. This symbol can only be used after the application process is completed, and cannot be used during this process.
How to register a trademark for business name?
There are a few steps that you must follow in order to make the trademark registration process much easier. Let’s get started with the major steps right away!
Search
You should search the federal database to ensure that the name you are trying to register is not registered already. You can use the USPTO electronic trademark search engine (also known as TESS) to do this. In addition to looking for the name you need, you should also look for similar names. If the name is very similar to the name registered in the same class, your registration may be rejected.
Apply
After finding and clearing the name to be registered as a trademark, it is time to prepare an application for trademark registration. You can request a name that is currently in commercial use or in the future.
Hiring an attorney
In order to make the trademark registration process easier, you must consult an attorney. Such an expert would help you in the entire process and allow you to just sit back and relax. Spending a few dollars on hiring an attorney to get a trademark registration for a name is worth considering as doing that would help you save big amount of money loss in future.
How much does it cost to register a trademark?
The cost of implementation depends on whether you choose TEAS Plus or TEAS Standard. TEAS Plus is priced at $225, while TEAS Standard is priced at $275. However, the price may increase, depending on the number of products and services you have registered and the number of brands.
After registration, you will be responsible for tracking the progress of the application through the Brand Status and Document Retrieval System (TSDR), which should be reviewed at least every three to six months after the initial submission.
What are the benefits of getting a trademark for a business name?
Your company name is very important to your business. This is how other people describe you. It is part of your brand. This is how other people perceive your company and associate your products or services with your company. Your company name affect your business entirely. So you must choose a trademark name for your business wisely. Following are the main benefits of registered trademark:
- Prevent Confusion
- Define Your Brand
- Avoid Legal Action
- Protect Sales
- Boost National Recognition
Wrapping up
You do not need to register a company name for a trademark to get trademark rights. However, you can get more protection for your brand and grow your business if you get a registered trademark. Before starting this process, you can hire a trademark attorney. The whole process can take from several months to a year. You do not want your application to be rejected, right? Such attorney or trademark lawyers can help you get your trademark with no hassles.
