Examples of Trademark Needs in West Palm Beach, Florida
A lot of people ask us, ‘Why do I need a trademark for my business?’ And the simple answer to that is your businesses name, logo, and branding are inherently valuable. You want to ensure that you’ve protected your business as your brand’s value grows and continues to appreciate over time. For example, if you’re in Boca Raton, or driving on Interstate 95, you’ve probably seen tons of billboards for corporations and mom-and-pop shops alike. And they’ve all got a certain feel to them, their branding. And that branding is valuable. You want to make sure that if you start a shop in Jupiter, that somebody two states over isn’t going to steal your idea and name and do the same business.
A great example I love to use is professional sports teams. Their need to have a protected brand name, logo, slogan, and such is invaluable because so much of their team’s value is wrapped up in their identity. There are lots of sports teams, but for fans, there’s always ‘my team’. Think about the teams near Royal Palm Beach and Jupiter, like the Palm Beach Knights and the Palm Beach Pumas. You can probably picture their logo in your mind, and you know that nobody else is using their names and logos to promote a professional sports team.
How Trademarks Affect Business
If someone creates the name ‘Happy Days’ for a nursery school, they would not be able to stop a competitor who sells Happy Days toys from using it.
In order to get the legal rights to use someone else’s trademark, you must register it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Registering a trademark with the USPTO protects your mark within a specific class and related properties, and puts other people on notice of your claim.
Get to Know the Process of Acquiring a Federal United States Trademark
Trademarks (or service marks) are used to identify goods and services that come from a specific company. They are used in the same way that someone might use an iconic logo. Trademarking is important because it prevents others from using your trademark without your consent, which gives you the grounds to file a lawsuit against them for their infringement.
A federal trademark registration makes it easier to win against infringers and win damages, because you don’t have to worry about jurisdiction.
The other benefit of the USPTO Principal Register is that it gives constructive notice to other trademark users. Conducting a search prevents unintentional infringement, which is still actionable infringement.
Hire a Trademark Attorney
You may want to hire a patent lawyer; a trademark attorney can help you file for, conduct searches for similar trademarks, and sign an application for you. They can protect your trademark from being simply registered by another person or company.
We recommend against our clients trying to secure trademarks on their own because there are many companies that will do it for them with minimal legal counsel.
Reach out to our office to discuss the best way to position your application and how to deal with disputes.
Learn About the Difference Between Two Legal Terms
Trademarks protect a company’s identity, like the product’s name or the company’s name. Trademarks are mainly used for advertising purposes so that the customer knows where to go if they want that specific product.
Copyright law is a protection which means no one can copy your work without authorization. Copyright exists whether registered or not, but only with registration, you acquire certain protections. It’s important to note the difference between copyrighted materials and trademarks to ensure that your company’s intellectual property rights are always protected.