Brian Russ Law, Inc. is a California trademark legal firm focused on helping corporations build and protect their brands and their business. We get the need to differentiate your brand from your competitors. A small business owner and serial entrepreneur, attorney Brian sees the worries of small business owners and how securing brand protection is critical when setting your business apart from the competition. Brian works with corporations across the Golden State work through common brand issues like clearance searches, infringement assessment, trademark registration, USPTO office action responses, infringement litigation, use defense, and more. If you’re looking for top-notch trademark legal guidance in Ukiah, then you’ve come to the right place. You can also visit our trademark-specific website at BrianTheTrademarkLawyer.com.

What Is A Trademark Attorney?

A trademark lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in practicing in the field of trademarks. Trademark lawyers typically have experience in the entire trademark lifecycle from the critical clearance search all the way through litigation support. When choosing a lawyer to protect you’re the logo of your business, make sure to work with a lawyer who has no problem working in Ukiah, like Brian Russ Law, Inc. 

How Can a Trademark Law Firm Support Your Company?

A trademark attorney’s job is to help businesses protect their brands and make sure other people don't infringe on them. Businesses are in the best position to protect their brand if they think about brand protection pre-launch or shortly after their launch. Our firm's seen so many companies drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on merchandise and marketing only to learn that they can't use their preferred name. Intellectual property protection is a key element for startups - especially those that heavily rely on brand recognition to drive market engagement. If you want to protect your company name, call us. 

What To Look For In a Trademark Attorney

The best way a business owner can protect their name is to take action. Doing trademark work without an attorney's support is just as problematic as doing nothing. We find the best trademark attorneys are like us - experienced in helping businesses of all sizes from across the globe in a variety of industries. When you're looking for legal counsel for your trademark, the most important things are their experience and how personable they are. To have the best synergy for your brand, it’s important to find an attorney who you feel comfortable talking with. 

The Top Three Areas Small Businesses Need Trademark Support

1.	BUSINESS NAME REGISTRATION
Business owners often think LLCs and DBA/FBN statements keep their names from being violated and that they are not violating others. This is not correct. Setting up an LLC or a Doing Business As Statement does not equal trademark protection. #s# So you can get the Secretary of State and county approval to use your business name, but you’re still exposed to potential trademark infringement liability because your name might infringe on someone’s trademark. As a business owner, you need to hire an attorney to find out if your company name infringes on someone else's trademark. 
2. BRAND PROTECTION
Small businesses have a lot to worry about, but brand protection should not be one of them. Imagine this – you start a hot dog restaurant on the main drag of Ukiah called “Tommy Tequila’s Good Eats” and you spend decades establishing your reputation. Your customers know your business and know your brand, but you don’t federally register your brand’s name. Imagine going to Las Vegas and finding a year-old restaurant with the same name as your business in neon lights. Sadly, your options for enforcement and protection would be limited since you have no federal protection for your brand’s name and the Vegas diner is across state lines. An even more common – and still frustrating – situation is what to do if your name brand name was federally protected by a third party before you started using yours. 
3. INFRINGEMENT STRATEGY.
It is important to have a strategy in place in case someone infringes on your name. There are many cases where someone might innocently infringe your trademark. Sometimes, having a attorney send a cease-and-desist letter to the infringer will make them stop. willfully and maliciously infringing your brand, you need to be prepared to take steps to fight them. A federal lawsuit might be needed to receive a temporary and permanent injunction to stop the infringer. You can also try to recover damages including lost profits. 

Trademary Attorney Brian Russ is Here to Serve Ukiah Businesses

The answer is straightforward – contactconnect with} Brian Russ Law, Inc. today. We’re fielding inquiries from potential new clients every day. Having an attorney on your team to protect your intellectual property can help you avoid costly mistakes and give you invaluable peace of mind.