Business owners spend innumerable
hours and frequently thousands of dollars coming up with the most excellent
business name and logo. This is vital to a new business, and is the first thing
a customer notices. These marks build reputation in the market, and represent
the quality of their goods and services.
This can be one of the most precious
assets a business owns, but, several businesses overlook inexpensively and
easily protecting this intellectual property. Business names, logos and slogans
can be guarded nationally by getting a trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). To
assist small business owners, here are the top reasons they need to trademark
their business logo and name.
- There are some business assets that not only make immediate value, but develop in value. The more your business improves and expands, so does the value of your brand. Business start using their trademarks in publicity, on product packaging, and when dealing with clients. Customers relate trademarks with every part of your business, and confusing it with another company can be deadly. A valid trademark registration service can be sold, bought, used, and licensed as a security interest for acquiring a business loan. If a startup hopes to expand, sell, merge, or raise funding, a registered trademark is a necessity.
- Online Trademark registration assist businesses get ahead of issues. Several small businesses are ignorant of potential issues until they get a strongly worded demand letter from a company on the other side of the country threatening legal action if they do not alter their business name right away. The letter may ask for thousands in damages, and necessitate thousands in website updates, marketing changes, new business cards, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and of course, the loss of support.
- The key problem in waiting to apply for a national trademark is having your logo and name restricted to a small geographic area. A startup can have local protection where they function, but can find out later a national trademark stops them from expanding. Think about trademarks not just for today, but future plans to expand into new areas and services. Or else, you may encounter a pricey and hard marketing issue.
- You may be alert that intellectual property protections have a shelf life. Trademarks will last until perpetuity, as long as the rights holders file an occasional renewal form. As far as business investments go, nothing lasts more and offers more lasting opportunities than a trademark.
Before filing a trademark, a
legal representative will search the USPTO database for the similar business
names and logos. If an attorney finds something alike, they may recommend small
changes, such as color, font, or the trademarked term to distinguish from the
registered mark. The earlier a startup checks on their trademark, the more they
could save potentially.
No comments:
Post a Comment