Trademarking Your Logo and Name: A Step-by-Step Guide

It’s crucial to prevent people from using your company’s name and logo if you’ve invested time and money in generating them. The ideal approach to accomplish this is to trademark your name and logo. We’ll go over the procedures you must follow to register your company name and logo as a trademark in this article. Does My Logo Need to Be Copyrighted or Trademarked?

In contrast to trademark protection, which covers words, phrases, symbols, and designs used to identify and distinguish goods and services, copyright protection applies to original works of authorship such as books, music, and artwork. Therefore, you should trademark your name and logo rather than copyright them if you wish to protect them.

To be sure your name and logo are not already protected by a trademark, you should check the USPTO database before applying for a registration. You cannot use your name and logo if you discover a similar brand without running the danger of being accused of trademark infringement.

Step 2: Submit an application for a trademark Once you’ve established the distinctiveness of your name and logo, you can submit a trademark application to the USPTO. The application can be submitted online, and the filing fee ranges from $225 to $400 per class of goods or services.

You will have to wait until your trademark application is processed, which could take several months to a year. The USPTO will review your application during this time and might ask you for more details or clarifications. Receive your trademark registration in Step 4

The USPTO will issue you a trademark registration certificate if your application is accepted. The exclusive use of your name and logo in connection with the products or services you’ve specified in your application is granted to you by this certificate.

You don’t require a separate bank account if your business is run under a “doing business as” (DBA) name. To keep your personal and business finances apart, it’s a good idea to establish one. This can also assist you in avoiding legal and tax issues while making it simpler to keep track of your business’s spending and revenue.

A DBA may really have more than one owner. However, the state and municipal governments where the business is located will require that each owner submit a separate DBA registration. To confirm that each owner is legitimately permitted to conduct business using the DBA name.

The DBA names of two businesses cannot be the same. Each DBA name is distinct and may only be used by one type of company at any given time. You may be sued for trademark infringement if you attempt to use a DBA name that is already in use.

In conclusion, trademarking your company’s name and emblem is a critical step in safeguarding it against legal troubles and rivalry. You may make sure that your brand and identity are protected and that your company is run under the proper financial and legal conditions by following the instructions provided in this article.