Trademark Information

Few entertainment companies protect their intellectual property as aggressively as Lucasfilm, the studio behind the Star Wars franchise. With a multimedia empire spanning films, television shows, merchandise, gaming, and more, Lucasfilm has built one of the most valuable trademark portfolios in entertainment history. The company’s approach to defending these assets has shaped modern trademark enforcement … Read more

When you register a trademark, you gain legal protection for your intellectual property. Without a registered trademark, competitors and other evildoers could use your brand name, logo, slogan, and other identifying marks for their own gains. But once you receive your registration from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the law protects you. While … Read more

When it comes to trademarking a name, the only stupid questions are the ones that you don’t ask. Unfortunately, this is something far too few business owners are willing to do. Every year, thousands of entrepreneurs try to navigate the trademark registration process using only their intuition, and every year just as many entrepreneurs have … Read more

Until recently, companies primarily used intellectual property (IP) — trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other types of intangible assets protected by law — defensively and followed the traditional sequence of inventing, developing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling an invention. Also known as the “transactional approach,” this model characterized IP as a valuable asset and a bargain: businesses … Read more

When filing a trademark application, the Trademark Office will require that you choose at least one international trademark class to identify the types of products or services that you plan to provide under your mark. The classifications help in organizing and categorizing the trademarks for easier management and identification. This article will provide a comprehensive … Read more

Once your trademark is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), it is vitally important to take action against any potentially infringing uses of your trademarks. Early detection of potential trademark infringement is critical because the failure to properly defend your trademark rights could lead to a loss of distinctiveness, which is … Read more

If you aren’t careful about your trademark, it can cost you, both literally in the wallet, and mentally in stress and time. There are several things you need to know about when it comes to protecting your company’s valuable name and/or logo. If you’re thinking about going through the trademark registration process in the near … Read more

Each trademark you file incurs a separate application fee. For example, if you wish to trademark your business name, your logo, and a product name, you will pay the application fee three times. Additionally, you might be subject to greater legal fees if you’ve chosen to work with an attorney on top of the filing fee with … Read more

Would you submit a job application without first researching the company? In the same way, you shouldn’t file a trademark application without first researching the process. Understanding the steps involved will make the process much smoother, giving you an easier, and cheaper, path to a federally registered trademark. (Research is the first of the four … Read more

In this article, we explain the process of renewing a trademark registered with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), which is essential to maintain federal trademark rights. It covers the two essential forms: Declaration of Use under Section 8 and Application for Renewal of Registration under Section 9, as well as the timelines … Read more

The integrity of law relies on the continued resolution of new challenges, and the present landscape of trademark law offers plenty of that. As the legal facility changes, new channels of commerce and an increasingly global economy will continue to push its evolution and adaptation into fascinating new arenas. Here are ten hot topics keeping … Read more

You probably see the three major trademark symbols everywhere, but do you know what they mean? The ®, ™, and ℠ symbols might seem familiar, you likely seem them in superscript all the time. But the “TM symbol”, “SM symbol” and “R symbol” have different uses and afford different legal protections to intellectual property. You … Read more

Granted, the title above is oxymoronic (just to be clear, stealing is illegal), but it does point to an important truth. Even after your trademark application has been approved, people can challenge and steal your intellectual property, using legal means. The reasons this is possible is that approved trademarks do not come with absolute ownership. … Read more

With all the time and money that you’ve invested in establishing and registering your trademark, imagine how devastating it would be to have a competitor use your mark with the law’s blessing. If you fail to adequately police infringement, that is exactly what could happen. Registering your mark is a necessary (but not wholly sufficient) … Read more

If anyone can attest to the nightmare of waging a trademark battle against a corporate giant, it’s Amy Brooks, a Rochester-based entrepreneur. Ms. Brooks is the proprietor of Bubbles by Brooks, a distributor of therapeutic soaps for cancer patients. After surviving cancer treatment herself, Brooks began handcrafting skin care and soap products that minimize irritation … Read more