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This protects your rights within that state, so the logo cannot be copied by brands in other states. It is solely at the discretion of the examining attorney whether your logo will be registered. If the issues with your application are minor, you may receive a call or email.
Step Two: Conduct a Trademark Image Search
This is for those of you who decide to apply for registration on your own without the assistance of a lawyer. But if you follow these steps one at a time, you’ll manage just fine. Lukas is part of the content writing team at GraphicSprings, bringing his marketing expertise to the forefront. With a degree in Marketing, he crafts informative articles on social media, branding, and logo design. You may register logos with the Secretary of State in the state where your company is based.
The Ultimate Guide to How to Trademark a Logo
All the documents are in order, the forms are filled, and you are ready to hit submit. If you provide a service such as delivering custom-made candles to special events, you would simply supply an invoice or a screenshot of the website where you offer your services. If your logo represents a physical product like a candle, you’d provide a photo of your logo on the candle itself, a photo of the packaging or tags used for the candle, or a photo of the candle on display in a store. Again, it is really important to classify your product using precisely the right words.
How to Trademark a Logo
Working to resolve office actions quickly will help move your application towards registration approval. When brainstorming logo ideas, focus on developing a recognisable and unique look. Instead, be creative and craft a meaningful symbol for your brand that makes a strong visual impact. Aim for a design that customers will remember and that you can legally protect as your intellectual property. With a distinctive and original logo, you will be off to a strong start in building your brand image.
There are benefits of using a lawyer, one of them being they are savvy investigators. A lawyer can determine quite easily if your logo or business name belongs to someone else, as well as help get your application approved. To make matters more complicated, an artist stepped forward claiming both authorship and ownership of the smiley face, which he says was originally created as a favor to Nirvana in 1991, and claims he is the rightful owner. So let’s say you use a logo for your candle business to distinguish yourself from all the others in the candle market. If someone wants to use a similar logo for a lawn care business, you can’t stop them from using it. When somebody uses your intellectual property without consent, that is known as infringement.
Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site. If your search of supermarket designs returns too many results to review, you may want to limit the search to include designs of “human beings.” You could use design search code 02.01 and leave off the section code. You could also limit by coordinated classes of your goods or services.
If you’re missing any basic filing requirements, the agency will notify you. If there are any minor issues with your application, you might receive a call or email. But if there is a more involved concern, you’ll probably receive a letter called an Office Action that outlines the reasons your application was denied.
TTAB rules unique building designs can acquire trade dress protection - World Trademark Review
TTAB rules unique building designs can acquire trade dress protection.
Posted: Thu, 06 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In an infringement lawsuit, there must be a likelihood of confusion, meaning the mark is used in connection with the same goods like computer technology, let’s say. The rules change slightly if you offer a service (it’s even easier!). All you need to supply is materials used to advertise your business.
® – Registered Trademark
You can sue if your mark is well-known and any other use of it will weaken the mark’s reputation. It takes anywhere from 6 months to one year to receive the final decision. The product specimen must present evidence of a transaction between you and your customer. So when I say you’ll need to describe the good or service, I mean really get into detail. The USPTO has 45 different classes that your good or service might fall under. For example, one category includes precious metals such as jewelry; another incorporates musical instruments.
If the concerns are more involved, you will receive a letter called an Office Action that outlines the reasons for the denial. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. For more information about when a special form drawing is required, see TMEP section 807.04(b). A freelance graphic design service might use this symbol next to their brand name before obtaining official registration. Avoid generic or common visuals, or else they may have a similar likeness to other logos.
But if that grace period passes and you still don’t submit those forms, the USPTO will strip all of your legal intellectual property protections. You don’t have to use these symbols in your logo (in fact, we recommend not including them, as they can hurt a clean design), but they do make it evident that your logos are protected. Nirvana LLC filed a lawsuit claiming Marc Jacobs’ “intentional copy” of the smiley with minor alterations for his clothing line. Nirvana’s lawyers said the image was registered for copyright in 1993 and declared full ownership of the image.
If you are a service provider, however, the rules for a specimen are a bit more relaxed. Unlike for goods, materials used to advertise your company or in the course of daily business will suffice. Such items need only show a “direct association” between your logo and the services you offer and explain the nature of those services. This being said, not only does the USPTO attempt to avoid any mixups among logos and brands, but it also denies any applications whose contents it finds offensive.
If the SOU does meet the minimum filing requirements, then the examining attorney reviews it to determine whether it is acceptable to permit registration. You may not withdraw the SOU and the filing fee(s) will not be refunded, even if the SOU/application is later refused registration on legal grounds. If no refusals or additional requirements are identified, the examining attorney approves the SOU. If the applicant does not file a statement of use or extension request within six months from the date the notice of allowance issued, the application is abandoned (no longer pending/under consideration for approval).
