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The Business Name and Business Trademark: The Importance of Having It Registered
from:Deb St. George, on Patents and Trademarks in your Patent and Trademark Guide From Agritrax.com
Many people today are now considering starting their own business. You have to consider that you don’t have to slave for a company you don’t even own just to earn some money. There are lots of people today who work in companies to earn enough capital to start their own business. With your own business, you will be the boss and have much more freedom instead of working at specific hours. By having your own business, you can go in and out of your office as often as you like without anyone telling you that you are arrived at work late and you are leaving early.
The first thing that most people think about when starting your own business is to think of a business name and the trademark symbol usually associated with it. The business name should be unique and should meet all the necessary requirements that the registration office will allow. However, the trademark is another story. You have to register your business trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Like the business name, the trademark should be unique and should meet the criteria for qualifications to get it approved. However, you have to consider that the business name itself can also be your trademark symbol, just make sure that the lettering and also the business name is unique.
You have to realize the fact that registering your business name as well as the trademark symbol is very important. This is the logo that separates one company manufacturer from the other. It prevents confusion among consumers on which products to buy. For example, if you are looking for a pair of Nike tennis shoes, you look for the Nike logo which is the "check" sign usually associated in the tags and even put in the products. You identify that the shoes are authentic by the trademark symbol.
By registering your trademark with the Patent and Trademark Office, you can be sure that no other companies will try to use your trademark symbol as it makes it illegal for them to use without your permission. You should consider the fact that it is included in the intellectual property rights. Even the design of the product cannot be copies if you copyright the design with the Patent and Trademark Office.
If you register your business name and trademark, you will have exclusive use for it and will not allow other companies to put in your trademark and business name in their products just to make it sell. Since no one will be able to use the business name and the trademark of your company, you can be sure that your company’s reputation is protected.
It is also recommended that you should register your trademark as soon as possible in order to claim it first and avoid others from claiming your trademark as their own by registering it at the Patent and Trademark Office. However, you can temporarily copyright your trademark symbol via the poor man's copyright. To protect your trademark symbol through a poor man's copyright, all you need to do is enclose a copy of the design in an envelope and mail it to yourself. When the mail arrives, you will notice that there are stamps in it as well as the date received and delivered in it. Leave the envelope unopened and when someone claims it in the Patent and Trademark Office, you can present the unopened envelope to the Patent and Trademark Office. The PTO personnel will open the envelop and examine the trademark design in it.
You have to consider that registering your trademark will take some time to get approval. This is why you should considering hiring a lawyer that specializes in the patent and trademark law as well as the anti-piracy and intellectual property law. They will be able to help you with the different paperwork associated in filing a trademark registration. They will also examine your trademark symbol and make some recommendations in design changes if anything needs to be changed.
These are the things you need to consider when applying for a trademark registration with the Patent and Trademark Office.
Remember this and you can be sure that you will protect your trademark as well as the reputation of your company.
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