What’s a Trademark & Do I Need One?

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a word, phrase, or symbol legally registered which refers to a company. Think of your favorite beverage. The logo you’re picturing is that company’s trademark. Many companies have multiple trademarks to cover different logos and phrases. Your favorite beverage company hired a team of trademark lawyers to make sure their marks were registered correctly. Companies file for trademarks for different reasons. Some file to gain recognition and others file to make a profit. Getting your trademark protects your company name, phrase, or logo from theft.

What are the Benefits of a Trademark?

While you are not required to register your trademark to receive some legal protections, having a federally registered mark has many advantages and additional legal protections for your business. Whether you are trademarking your logo, company name, or company phrase, registering the trademark provides notice to every other company that you own the mark and they cannot use anything similar without your permission.

Having a legal registration also allows you the opportunity to bring a claim against another company who uses your mark without your permission. This is important when it comes to your mark because you have the authority to protect your company’s intellectual property.

Why Might My Mark be Refused

When the United States Patent and Trademark Office reviews your application for a trademark, they first look to see if there is an existing trademark that conflicts with your request. This conflict can be a logo that is confusingly similar or a name that might be too similar to another company name in a similar industry.

The USPTO will reject applications like these to help consumers remain clear about what a company does. This also serves to help your company make clear to your customers and clients what you do and to help avoid any confusion.

Protect Your Trademark with Formal Registration

A trademark is an important legal right to your company. Without it, your company logo, name, and phrase could be stolen and used without compensation to you, the rightful owner. This is why it’s so important to make sure your trademark is filed correctly. That all starts with making sure your application is filled out correctly. This will help you confirm that you can use your proposed trademark and it helps to make sure you’re not infringing on the rights of anyone else. Doing so could be an extremely costly mistake. If you would like to find a trademark attorney in Chicago, IL, then attorneys from a firm like The Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian could be of service to you.