Trademark Benefits for Small Businesses
Most people know the importance of trademarks to huge, mega-corporations with many products and enormous profits to protect. Fewer are convinced that it’s worth it for their small or emerging business to file trademark applications. In many cases, however, a protected trademark is as important, if not more so, to smaller businesses who are just penetrating their markets than to these larger behemoths. Particularly when it’s time to grow a valuable trademark or brand. Here are a few of the benefits and basics of getting a trademark to protect your name, logo or business slogan.
File Federal, Instead of Local
Your first area of business may be simply your city or state, and, in fact, each state does allow you to file a trademark application with their offices. However, the protection is just for that state. The best advice of patent attorneys and trademark lawyers, on the other hand, is to file a federal trademark application, which gives you trademark protection nation-wide. A successful application means that even if you are based only in California, no one else in the country can simply pick up your name or slogan and begin using it for their own purposes. A definite benefit should you choose to expand your business to other areas.
Two Main Trademark Purposes
Trademarks have many uses, but the two most beneficial to both businesses and consumers are identification and branding. A good logo or slogan helps consumers and others tell the difference between one manufacturers product and that of another. And it also becomes part of a company’s brand identity. A single glance at a swoop on the side of a shoe, for instance, is enough for most to immediately identify the shoe are part of the Nike brand, and provides a wealth of other information as well.
Obtaining Federal Trademark Protection
In this, you can either begin using the name, slogan or logo you wish to trademark, in a commercial manner, and then file the application later. Or, you can file for the trademark protection first, if you do not plan to immediately begin using the mark. The filing process is one you can complete yourself but, as with many things, using a qualified trademark or patent attorney can save you quite a lot of time, money and frustration down the road.
Contact your Patent Attorney to learn more.
