4 important things to know before getting a company trademarked

The business name and logo hold a great deal of importance, as they are an essential part of the identity of your business. A meaningful name or logo adds a good touch to the identity of your business. But how do you know if someone is not going to tweak and make it their own? That it won’t remain uniquely yours? This is where understanding trademark name filing and trademark services become important.

Trademarking your company name provides value to the business. It also covers all your products and services under the trademark. This provides your business with its own brand status.

Check availability

Before you set out for the trademark name filing, do your research. Your research should include data collection to ensure that the availed trademark services do not infringe on someone else’s existing trademarks. Do not go in unprepared to file your documents only to have your application rejected. Plus, keep in mind that if you are planning a bigger, brighter future for your business, you cannot have trademarks similar to others,which can confuse users.

Sooner the better

Registration of a trademark after trademarking your company name is not a compulsion. However, it does allow one the right to sue the infringer under the civil and common law. The registration gives you rights to the name and logo that are solely yours, which makes it an offense if someone else is trying to use it. Hence, it is advisable to have the trademark registered without delay.

Use correct symbols

Before your application was registered, you were probably using the (™) symbol to indicate that you have applied to obtain a unique identity for your business. However, after having successfully trademarked your company name by using the trademark services your (™) symbol is no longer required. After receiving the get-go from the federal registration you will be required to use a different symbol. To indicate that the trademark name filing process has been completed, the symbol “R” is used.

Keep track of your marks

The growth and development of your business are associated with the names and logos that you trademark. It is important to keep track of your usage and your renewal dates, so you don’t lose your rights later on. Additionally, keeping track of the usage helps identify infringers, if any. It will also give you an idea if there are other companies or brands with trademarked symbols similar to yours.