Getting your Logo Trademark ready
Building your own brand identity of your brand is no easy task. It takes tons of creativity, and graphic ideas to ensure that you have your own piece of design and logo, and templates. The cost of it comes with plethoric planning, time, and capital. And naturally, everyone will want to hold the rights and integrity of what they make.
Therefore, to guard your intellectual property against anyone to be taken by force, you can always trademark your logo. Perhaps, it is not as easy as it seems. No matter if your logo is not a million-dollar idea, you can still be acquainted with the process, and get your logo trademarked.
In this blog, we are going to know everything about how you can trademark your logo and the process associated with it.
But what is a logo trademark?
A trademark is something that protects any particular type of intellectual property that can be a unique symbol, sound, or number that focuses on representing a brand or its product.
In short, a trademark is any layer of legal protection that you give to your people who try to intimate your brand identity. Perhaps, one always confuses a trademark as a copyright, but there’s a difference between the two.
Difference between a trademark and a copyright
- Copyright is for any intellectual property related to literary work.
- Trademark is for commercial graphic, logos, names, etc.
Theoretically, can apply for both trademark, and copyright to your logo as logos depict nothing but art. Moreover, one should always go for trademarks as it keeps a brand and its name from the eyes of unauthorized people and brands.
When should you trademark your logo?
Well, when a brand owner thinks of conducting a legal proceeding to secure their property there are certain things that they should always consider before making a decision.
- Cost: The total cost for you to secure your design will hover somewhere around $250 to $450. This will certainly cover the fees of the attorney and the application fee.
- Start-ups and new businesses are advised to trademark their logo and their brand identity once their company grows to a certain value.
- The total duration for the logo trademark to complete is three to four months. Your application is reviewed, and officials examine your application to come up with a conclusion.
If there is any adverse examination report, officials will let you know about it, and the process could take up to 15 months to complete.
- If you are not willing to get your logo trademarked or your brand identity it may lead to some adversities when a brand comes with a similar-looking design as yours. This will not only confuse your audience but also your visual audience might suffer a nosedive.
Therefore, trademarking your logo generally protects it from all the hard work that you have done to design your logo and build your brand identity.
Steps to get your logo trademarked
Now, that you know pretty much the importance of trademarking your logo, it is a good thing that you get started as soon as possible. Trademarking your logo gives you the rights to use, license or put the logo on sale.
Make sure that you are eligible to apply for the application.
The US Government has some set guidelines to qualify for applying for a trademark. You need to fulfil all these criteria if you are willing to proceed with the application.
- Applying as an independent business owner rather than using as a business name.
- You should be an individual, company, association, or a combination.
- You should always have an intent to use your or already using your trademark.
Checking for the availability
You should always make sure that the design that you have, or the brand identity that you want is not registered with anyone, anywhere. You can use different tools and software and websites to access and trace if a simper design is already registered somewhere anywhere in the world.
If you find that there does exist one, make sure that the logo trademark is still active. You can use the same trademark if the first owner of the trademark is inactive.
Filling out the application
The government has built a website for anyone to access and apply for a logo trademark. US citizens can fill the form, and access the step-by-step guide on how to go it here.
The result
You can expect a result in three to four months after to correctly fill the form and apply. Some of the government also let their applicant access the database to know about their application status.
Once your trademark is approved, it is open for another two months for any opposition or any third party to come and oppose your trademark.
When this period passes without any challenge or blockhead, your logo trademark is successfully registered.
Some Common Mistakes to be avoided
You must be already aware that the legal process always comes with some complexities. We have worked and learnt about some of the most common mistakes that you can avoid.
Don’t only keep looking for logos
Most people only search for logos but the truth is that trademarks also exist for company name and taglines. Therefore, one should always make sure that they double-check if someone is using the same name and tagline as this can also result in rejection of your application if one exists.
Do not forget your application
Keeping a check on the status of your application, and issues flagged by officials is a must every three months, no matter if your application is in progress or is already active. In order to avoid any kind of legal delays, you should respond to them as soon as possible and get them fixed.
If you fail to respond to any of the issues, authorities have the full right to either cancel or abandon your trademark. No doubts, you can restart your application, but for that to do, it will come with additional cost.
Keep renewing your trademark
In the US, a logo is protected by a trademark for 10 years. However, you can apply for a renewal 12 months prior to the date of expiration. If you want to renew your application after the due date, it comes with a late fee.
Trademarking these words!
If you want your logo trademark, make sure that you an original, authentic, and great design. If you haven’t got one, we can help you get started now.
Do not worry, the trademark will still stay with you, and we work just as your designer. If you do not like what we design for you, get a 100% refund on your money, no questions asked.
Still, not sure? Why not visit us yourself!
