Tag: registration
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How to DIY: USPTO trademark registration
The United States Patent and Trademark Office, the government agency responsible for trademark registrations, provides up-to-date, comprehensive guides and toolkits: It’s important to note that the USPTO is a SELF-FUNDED AGENCY. This means they are incentivized to make every effort to help you through the application process. Well, it’s in their self-interest because they charge…
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2-min guide to IPs for retail business
Let’s say you were to sell t-shirts. What do you want to protect? A. Words, logos, etc B. Product design C. It’s all in the making. (e.g. special sewing technique) A. Words, logos, etc These are called “trademarks”. Trademark is a way to tell people that products bearing the “words, logos, etc” are from you.…
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Trademark Maintenance: does trademark registration expire?
Maintaining registration calls for both administrative and executive action. Administratively, you need to file with the USPTO a showing that you’re still using the mark after 5 years of the registration, and every 10 years, you need to file a request for renewal. On the business side, you must continue using your mark at all times, even after the registration. This requirement…
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Trademark Registration: do I need to hire an attorney?
Getting a trademark, you can either “do it yourself” or hire a professionals. DIY option describes not only filing directly via TEAS at USPTO.gov but also using commercial services under $100. Let’s compare these two options. Do it yourself Professional Help Mark Your choice of wording and design Likely a better wording and design Registration online trademark search/registration via…
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Cheapest Way to Protect Your Trade Name (or Trademark, Servicemark, etc)
Have you been to a Burger King restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois? I mean the other Burger King restaurant. There is a restaurant called Burger King, which has nothing to do with Burger King franchise.
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When to Register Trademark?
Most clients come to me after their products reached the market. In fact, that’s when you know for sure that your product has the potential to be something. If not, why invest in registering trademark? On the other hand, most big companies register their intent-to-use (“ITU”) marks months before they actually develop or start selling…
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Trademark Registration – IPfever Way
I guess you can file a trademark application yourself, which will cost a bit over $200 in government fees (for a long-term cost analysis, see https://www.ipfever.com/how-much-does-a-trademark-registration-cost/ ).Here, the worst case scenario is you get a rejection letter (called Office Action). If there’s a mistake, you can amend it. In other cases, you can probably go around the…
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US Trademark Backlog in the 1Q 2018?
There’s been reports about a huge number of applications, originating from China. See e.g. this WJ article at https://www.wsj.com/articles/flood-of-trademark-applications-fromchinaalarms-u-s-officials-1525521600. Then, is there a backlog created by the increase of Chinese trademarks? I had a chance to look at the dates of applications filed on behalf of my clients from 3Q to 4Q of ’17 and to…
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How much does a trademark registration REALLY cost?
Above is a cumulative showing of trademark fees (government fees only). Assuming you use your trademark for a single type (category) of product/service, an online application fee can cost as low as $225, plus a $125 one-time maintenance fee after 5 years of use and $425 every 10 years. Total $1,200 over 20+ years? Not much right? This calculation doesn’t include…
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Tax forms are complex and lengthy, but they can’t go south.
Federal trademark registration has become a standard practice for many reasons including (1) it’s inexpensive (as low as $225 to apply online); (2) due to the internet, no one does business in a single state; and (3) branding becomes crucial to even small businesses. And if I add one more to the list, it’s fairly easy.…