Imagine you own a t-shirt manufacturing company called Bob’s Snazzy Shirts. You’ve worked hard to make Bob’s the region’s leading producer of t-shirts. After years of slow growth, you’re finally ready to make your company a national contender. You just need that one special shirt design to take you there. One night you go to … Read more
Think of all you’ve invested in building your brand. You’ve carefully crafted a brand identity that appeals to customers and sets you apart from competitors. You have poured money and time into delivering superlative products or services that cement your reputation for quality. You have also probably thought long and hard about selecting the brand … Read more
A business can obtain trademark rights in two primary ways. 1. By applying for a federal trademark registration. 2. By establishing a common law trademark, through use in commerce. The second method might seem easier and cheaper, but it doesn’t provide the business with the many benefits of federal trademark registration. The trademark application process … Read more
Unfortunately, many small business owners fail to take the time to determine whether the name they have chosen for their product or business is actually available for them to legally use. If you’re a small business owner and you want to eliminate the chance of having to deal with any future costly trademark disputes, it’s … Read more
Registering a trademark takes time. If all goes well, you could have the entire process done within 10-12 months. But if you make mistakes during the application phase, it could take longer than a year to complete. This is why the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) encourages applicants to work with trademark attorneys. … Read more
It happens so often. A client will come to me with a name ready for a trademark application. “Can you help me file this?” they ask. Of course I can. But there’s always a question I have to ask first. “Have you searched to make sure that this mark isn’t confusingly similar to an existing … Read more
Freelancers are rapidly taking over a major segment of the American economy. The idea of working in the office from 9 to 5 is giving way to flexible employment opportunities where individuals are free to shape their own schedules and pick their projects. The heady freedom isn’t exclusive to freelancers, though. Employers can now handpick writers, … Read more
At any point after filing a trademark application you might receive correspondence from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In some cases this might be an Office Action, which can delay the application process. Others are standard to certain types of applications. After receiving any of these notices, you the applicant will likely have … Read more
Opening a new restaurant can be akin to descending into madness. On your restaurant launch list, there’s probably a million things to do, and registering a trademark for your business might not be at the top. After all, there are many other things to worry about, and chief among them will be working to get everything running … Read more
Most people know how to play Angry Birds, the slingshot-themed video game by a Finnish company called Rovio. It isn’t so well-known, however, that Angry Birds has been the focus of some significant trademark disputes since its 2006 inception. Here are two of the most notable cases. Adams vs. Hartz Image via Flickr The person … Read more