Trademark Cost Legalzoom
For a trademark to be effective, it must be enforced. Learn how to protect your brand, what happens if you don`t end trademark conflicts, how to stop an infringing trademark, and more. If your business is a formal legal entity such as a corporation or LLC, the owner`s name is the company`s name. An individual may also own a trademark. Although the most popular and suggested method of filing a trademark application involves the use of TEAS, you can also submit a “paper” application form to the USPTO. The most distinctive trade names are “embossed” or invented names such as “Kodak” or random names that use an existing word to identify an unrelated product, such as “Apple” for computers. You can also trademark a suggestive name that implies a product or product feature without actually describing it, such as “Greyhound” bus. If there is no conflict, then you will need to file a trademark application with the USPTO. In the application, you must indicate the brand and class of services or goods for which it is used in trade. According to the USPTO website, the trademark fees you pay depend on the following factors: After the 10-year trademark period expires, the fee to apply for renewal of your trademark can be up to $300 for electronic filing and $400 for filing a paper application. Your trademark application must correctly indicate whether your trademark is used for goods or services: “goods” are products you sell, while “services” are activities you perform for other people. The USPTO may refuse to register your trade name if it finds that there is a likelihood of confusion between your name and another pending trademark or trademark application. A likelihood of confusion arises when: Before you decide to protect your business name or commit to using a logo, make sure no one else is using it.
Search for registered, active, and inactive federal trademarks to discover potential conflicts, including those with different spellings The TM symbol informs the public that you claim a trademark in what you have marked with the symbol. Anyone claiming to own a trademark can use the TM symbol – you do not need to register the trademark with the USPTO. Similarly, if you claim to be the owner of a service mark, you can use the SM symbol. You can use these symbols even if the USPTO rejects your trademark application. If you file a trademark application for your business name at the federal level through the USPTO, you should expect to pay between $250 and $750. The procedure for registering a trade name is relatively simple and inexpensive and worth its weight in gold to prevent illegal use by competitors. You can register a logo that contains text, but the design and text together are considered a single trademark. Do you want to protect them individually? You will need to submit two applications. The trademark application requires a design of your trademark and a sample of your trademark. The creation of certain business entities, the registration of an adopted name or the registration of a trademark can provide you with the protection of a trade name.
If you are filing a trademark application in a sound or animated video formation, you must file the design as an electronic file in one of the following formats: .wav, .wmv, .wma, .mp3, .mpg or .avi. If you have developed a good buzzword to identify your company and its products or services, you may want to register a trademark. Visit the USPTO website for more information on trademark renewals and declarations of use. Search for trademarks in classes of goods (goods) and related services It is your responsibility to enforce your trademark rights. It`s important to monitor your brand and act quickly if you think someone is hurting it. You can do this online by using the Electronic Trademark Application System (TEAS), an online trademark application service, or by filing a paper application. Before the trademark application process, you want to start with a trademark search and make sure your trademark is available. Trademark protection for your company`s name, logo, or slogans is an important way to protect your work. Learn how to get started with this easy-to-follow explanation of how the signup process works, how much it costs, how much it takes to time, and more. The USPTO authorizes a trademark — which is a name, logo, or slogan — per application. Search for common law trademarks used online and on social networks Registering a trademark sounds simple, but it`s not always easy to register a trademark yourself.
Choosing a trademark class can be the most difficult and confusing part of filing a trademark application. Here are some tips to help you understand brand classes and choose the right one. The best business strategy is to think about brands from the beginning – ideally when choosing your company name and logo and forming your business unit. If you`re starting a new business, you`ll need to choose a name that can be used in your state and doesn`t go against another company`s brand. On the other hand, if you`re just trying to protect your business name in your home state, the cost of filing a single trademark application ranges from $50 to $150 in most states. The USPTO reviews your application within a few months, then sends an action from the office with questions or concerns, or approves your trademark for publication. If it is published and the public objects within 30 days, your trademark is officially registered. To register a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), you must complete and file a trademark application. The USPTO examining attorney may reject your trademark if there is a possibility that consumers will confuse it with another trademark (i.e. if your trademark sounds or resembles another mark in a similar industry).