Brian Russ Law, Inc. is a United States trademark law firm centered on helping corporations build and protect their brands. We understand the need to distinguish your brand from your competitors. A small business owner and serial entrepreneur, lawyer Brian understands the worries of small business owners and how securing brand protection is critical when setting your business apart from the competition. Brian works with businesses across the United States work through common trademark 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 advice in Lakeland, Michigan, then you’ve come to the right place.
“Wait a second,” you may be wondering, “I heard Brian Russ Law, Inc. a California law office? Can they help clients outside of California, like in Lakeland or Michigan?” Yes! We help clients nationwide with trademark registration support services. The United States Patent Trademark Office allows attorneys licensed anywhere in the USA to represent clients in USPTO proceedings. Also check out our trademark-specific website at BrianTheTrademarkLawyer.com.
Lakeland’s Trademark Lawyer
What Is A Trademark Attorney?
A trademark attorney is a attorney who specializes in practicing in the field of trademarks. Trademark attorneys 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 Lakeland, like Brian Russ Law, Inc.
How Can a Trademark Law Firm Empower Your Business?
A trademark lawyer's role is to help their clients protect their brands. Businesses are in the strongest position to protect their brand if they think about brand protection pre-launch or shortly after their launch. The amount of money companies spend on start-up products and marketing is enormous, and sometimes, they find out that their preferred name can't be used because another competitor has locked up the name. Intellectual property protection is a key element for startups - especially those that heavily rely on brand recognition to drive user engagement. If you want to protect your company name, call us.
What To Look For In a Trademark Lawyer
The best way a business owner can protect their name is to take action. Equally problematic to doing nothing when working on trademarks is to do-it-yourself without an attorney's support. We find the best trademark lawyers 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 representation for your trademark, the most important things are their experience and how personable they are. It’s important to find an attorney with who you can comfortably discuss brand strategy because that will lead to the strongest synergy for your brand.
The Top Three Areas Small Businesses Need Trademark Support
1. BUSINESS NAME REGISTRATION
We commonly see business owners think that setting up an LLC or registering a DBA/FBN statement means their brand name is trademarked and safe from dispute. This is not accurate. Registering an LLC or a Fictitious Business Name Statement does not equal trademark protection. The main issue here is that the Secretary of State and your county recorder don’t cross-reference trademarks with business names. You can get government approval to use your name for a business, but those agencies will not detect trademark infringement. It's important for a business owner to retain legal counsel to help them assess the risks and benefits of their business name.
2. BRAND PROTECTION
Most small businesses need to protect their brands. Imagine this – you start a sandwich shop on the main drag of Lakeland} called “Tommy Tequila’s Good Eats” and you spend years building your reputation. But you never get around to registering a federal trademark for “Tommy Tequila’s Good Eats”. 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 pub is across state lines. Another tricky scenario is how to deal with a cease-and-desist notice when your brand name is the same as one that was federally registered by another company prior to you using yours.
3. INFRINGEMENT STRATEGY.
If you have a brand, then you need a plan on what to do if someone infringes your brand. It's important to be aware of how your trademark might be infringed on by people. Sometimes, having a lawyer send a demand notice to the infringer will make them stop. If someone is intentionally stealing your brand identity to make a profit, then you will need to take steps to stop them. A federal lawsuit might be necessary to obtain a temporary and permanent injunction to stop the infringer. You can also try to recover damages including lost profits.
Trademark Attorney Brian Russ is Here to Serve Lakeland} Entrepreneurs
The answer is straightforward – callconnect with} Brian Russ Law, Inc. today. We’re fielding calls from potential new clients every day. Having an attorney on your team to protect your name can help you avoid costly mistakes and give you invaluable peace of mind.