The intellectual property is one of the most important aspects and the highest priority of the small business. Therefore for any developing business, the owner must learn how to register trademarks and their intellectual property such as copyrights, trademarks as well as patents. It not only helps the company to develop a unique identity of your business but also allows you to expand your long-term business game. That is why you should learn about trademark registration to help your business grow and have the legal rights of your trademark.
Table of Contents
Following things you should learn about trademark registration:
That is why if you are not familiar with the intellectual property and trademark, you should know these following things:
What do you mean by Trademark Rights?
When you register a trademark officially, it gives a meaningful way to expand and increase your trademark rights. The trademark right is the legal right of using trademark consistently for your business, services, and products.
What is the difference between the Patents, Copyrights, and Trademark?
When it comes to intellectual property, this question is frequently asked. Copyright is the protection of your creative pieces like songs, music, literature, as well as visual art. Trademark protects the service name, products, logo, taglines, or your company. Finally, the patents protect your new inventions, processes as well as improvements for your designs.
Can I register one trademark for every service and product that my business offers?
The best thing about registering a trademark is you can register a trademark for any specific service or goods as well as all the products and services which are integral to your company or business and those which are listed with your application. But keep this in mind, the more products you are covering, you need to pay more filing fees for your applications.
Why should I register my trademark?
It is a very common question specialty for new businesses and companies that why we must register a trademark under their name? Especially when you have a name of the business, brand, a website, or store which is not legally secured by the law and trademark. To get entire protection for your business, you need to register an official trademark with the country your business located in. If your business is international, then you need to register an international trademark. To register a trademark locally, you need to get it done by the country’s trademark office like USPTO United States Patent and Trademark Office or Canadian Trademark Registration Office or any Trademark Office of your country. The best thing about the trademark registration is it makes enforcing trademark rights less expensive and less complicated that is why when any trademark infringers violate your trademark; you can take them to court for unauthorized use of your trademark.
My business name is established; do I need a trademark?
Even if you have a well-established business name, unfortunately, you need to register a trademark to get any trademark rights as having a business name does not establish any government endorsement and legal rights for your business.
Do I need a trademark as I have a Domain name?
If you are using your domain name as a business source and indicator of ownership on your site, then just registering a domain name does not allow you to have the trademark rights. That is why if you have a well-established website and business (local or international) registering a trademark of that domain or business name so that you can secure your business and get all trademark rights.
What will happen if I will stop using the trademark?
In many countries and jurisdictions such as the US and Canada, trademark rights are given to those businesses and companies who use the trademark consistently. It means that if you or your company stop using the trademark, abandons it or discontinue selling its products and services under that particular trademark, the court may understand that the company has left its legal trademark rights. At this point, other businesses are allowed to register that trademark and use it as their own. Also, in the USA, you have to file post-registration documentation to show and demonstrate that the services and goods you have listed in trademark registration are used under that trademark.
Should I register my trademark by myself?
One very common and important question that many business owners ask and should learn about trademark registration is, can they register their trademark on their own or not. First of all, many people think that they have to hire a professional lawyer who can help them register that trademark, and only they can go through the legal and documentation process. But it is quite common for business owners to register their trademark by themselves. There are many online forums and online trademark registration processes that allow business owners to file a trademark on their own. Still, if you don’t have good knowledge about the trademarks and documentations, then it is advisable to seek professional help. Hire a trademark company, agent or lawyer allows you to ensure all the necessary steps are taken in the right direction, minimizes the costly registration bloopers and mistakes as well as helps you to speed up the process and eliminate any setbacks at the same time.
Is trademark registration lengthy and costly?
The thing which makes the trademark registration scary to most of the business owners is they think that trademark registration is quite a costly and lengthy process. Well, to some extent, it is true as well. When business owners who don’t have experience in registering trademarks get things done by themselves, it increases the chances of denial to the trademark registration file; therefore, they end up wasting time and energy. That is why it is recommended to them to get professional help and minimize these elements and save time, money and energy at the same time.
