Registering your brand as a trademark is one of the most crucial things you can do to protect it. Your brand name, logo, and slogan are exclusively yours to use in connection with the products and services you provide thanks to this legal procedure. To be sure no one else has previously registered a mark that is identical to yours, you must first run a trademark search before applying for a trademark. Can you conduct a trademark search without paying anything?
Yes, you may conduct a trademark search without paying a cent. The Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) is a free internet search engine offered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). All US trademark registrations and pending applications are listed in this database. Trademarks can be found using words, phrases, or even pictures. To perform a more thorough search, you might need to contact a trademark attorney because the program is not completely reliable. How Do I Register a Trademark in Michigan? The procedure for obtaining a Michigan trademark is comparable to that of obtaining a federal trademark. To make sure the brand name is available, you must run a trademark search. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is where you must submit a trademark application after that. The processing time for applications is about six months, and the application price is $10 per class of products or services. Once authorized, your trademark is good for ten years and can be extended for additional ten-year periods.
In Michigan, a trademark application costs $10 for each class of products or services, as was already established. However, this is only the start of the expenses. Depending on the complexity of your case, you might need to pay a trademark attorney to assist you with the application procedure; their fees can range from $500 to $2,000 in total. Additionally, you might have to submit an appeal if your application is denied, which can cost between $300 and $500.
A federal trademark is legitimate for ten years after it is registered. As long as you keep using the trademark in commerce after then, you can renew it for additional ten-year terms. A trademark in Michigan is also good for ten years after it is registered and can be renewed for additional ten-year periods.
A word may really be trademarked. Remember, though, that not all terms are protected by trademarks. A word must be unique and not merely a description of the products or services you provide in order to qualify. For instance, while the word “apple” cannot be trademarked to sell apples, it can be trademarked to sell computers. You also cannot register a trademark for a word that is too similar to an already registered trademark or a generic term like “the” or “and.”
Finally, completing a trademark search is a crucial part of safeguarding your brand. The USPTO’s TESS tool allows you to conduct a free trademark search, but it’s not perfect, and you might need to employ a trademark lawyer to carry out a more complete search. You must submit an application to LARA and pay a fee of $10 per class of products or services in order to register a brand in Michigan. Depending on the complexity of your situation, the cost to trademark a name in Michigan can range from $500 to $2,000 per name. A trademark has a ten-year expiration date after which it can be renewed for additional ten-year periods. Last but not least, you can trademark a word as long as it is unique and not a description of the products or services you provide.
Clothing, shoes, and headgear are all included under the class 25 trademark category. It belongs to one of the 45 trademark classes recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for registering trademarks for goods and services. The class under which you should submit your application if you want to register a trademark for a product that is apparel, footwear, or headgear is 25.