Trademark Services Attorney Serving Portland
A trademark relates generally to brand names, slogans and logos. Trademark registration will give you an exclusive right to use the trademark nationwide, certain overseas rights, and a legal presumption of ownership.
A trademark is your business’ most valuable asset. Register them. Enforce them.
Trademarks are your business name, domain name, product names, slogans, logos, even colors or sounds if you use them to differentiate yourself from others. For complete protection, you will want to register your trademark. We can help you with that, as well as the following associated processes (explained in more detail below).
- Before you can register your trademark, a trademark search must be done.
- During the registration process, the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) may file Office Actions or other businesses may file Opposition Proceedings. We help you navigate both and get your trademark registered.
- After your trademark is registered, you need trademark surveillance, meaning you need to make sure no one else is using it.
- If you find someone is using your trademark or someone has alleged that you are using their trademark, we help protect your rights in enforcement proceedings.
- Occasionally, you will have to renew your trademark, and when that time comes we’ll be there for you.
- We assist you with State, Federal and International Trademark Registrations and Enforcement.
- We provide Trademark Registrations for a flat fee.
Where The Registration Process Begins
The registration process begins with a trademark search, specifically a US trademark search. This is more than a Google search and requires an attorney to scour everything from trade journals to specialized databases, including government databases.
Defending And Enforcing Your Trademark
Registration of your trademark is only the start of defending your company or product name and goodwill. For your rights to a trademark to continue, you have to use it, protect it against infringers, and renew it. The history of trademark law is fraught with marks that lost their protection because they failed to maintain them. However, if properly maintained, trademark protection can be perpetual.
An additional concern in the realm of trademark in the modern age is keyword advertising. Companies buy ads that appear in search engines when a consumer searches for a competitors’ trademark. For example, a consumer might search for Coke and an ad for Pepsi would appear, because Pepsi had purchased the right to place an ad there. There continues to be a considerable amount of litigation on this subject with differing results throughout the many federal court districts.
In the end, protecting your trademark is cost effective and gives you a multitude of revenue generating options later on, from licensing your trademark to selling it (assignment) outright.