A trademark is generally used to distinguish that an individual product, business organization, or legal entity is unique. It can come in the form of a phrase, logo, symbol, pattern, image, name, word, design, or combinations of these. However, trademarks are not limited to these items. Although it is quite rare, there are those who have registered things like taste, color or smell as their trademarks. To ensure that the uniqueness of your brand does not have duplicates, you must register it.
To register your trademark in the US, you must file an application with the Intellectual Property Office. This can be done through online registration or through a direct visit to a lawyer. When considering making a trademark registration, you should do some research. To find out whether or not your trademark has been registered under a different registrar, you can search for an existing trademark with the help of the Intellectual Property Office. After confirming that yours is the only one on the market, you need to make sure that the logo, design, word, or whatever branding your business is exactly how you want it. Once the application has been submitted, you will not be able to make any changes to the trademark.
Trademark registration is very beneficial for your business. Protects your company against any trademark claims from other parties. This will also give exclusivity to your business. If your business has been continuously using the same brand for five consecutive years, you can apply for undisputed status. This status gives you greater legal protection. No similar trademark will have a chance to win against you in a lawsuit or administrative hearing.
Filing your mark under federal registration will bring you comfort in a much wider territory. Not having protection from federal law is very risky. Who would know that in the midst of a rapidly growing business, you would come across a company with a confusingly similar logo or mimicking your logo? Without protection, the other imitator may have registered the mark and you would have to stop using it.
Trademark registration is also beneficial for your financial situation. If you are registered under federal jurisdiction, there is a good chance that you can recover infringement damages in the amount of triple the amount of your actual damages. Although trade infringement can be a fairly rare condition, you’ll be glad to know that you’ll have the opportunity to recover maximum compensation for minimal expense. As a valid trademark owner, you can also gain comfort in facing disputes over an infringing Internet domain name.