Need a Trademark?

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office hosted a week of informative learning sessions.

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office recently hosted an insightful week of live learning sessions designed to educate and empower entrepreneurs and business owners. The team covered several topics related to the processes and benefits of patents and trademarks.

The trademark session stood out as particularly fascinating to me, offering valuable insights and practical guidance.

Here are my top takeaways from the USPTO Live Learning Sessions. Source

Here's a Few Takeaways

Trademark Basics by the USPTO

If your word, slogan, design, or logo indicates your company offers a good or service, then you may want to check into whether you should trademark those items.

“A trademark:

• Identifies the source of your goods or services.

• Provides legal protection for your brand.

• Helps you guard against counterfeiting and fraud.” -Source: USPTO

Did you know that you can use “TM” for goods or “SM” for services even if you haven’t registered with the USPTO? The symbol of ® denotes that the marks are registered!

Check here to determine if a trademark application is right for you and the steps!

Application Takeaways

• Learn about & see strong examples of trademarks

• How much? Fees are generally $350 per class with additional fees based on completeness, complexity or other factors based on the application

• How long will it take? Trademark processing wait times

After the Submission & Examination Determination:

• The office checks to see if the application meets the minimum filing requirements

• An attorney is then assigned by the USPTO to examine the application, ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations, and conduct database searches

• If the examining attorneys raises objections and determines the trademark shouldn’t be registered, a letter is issued with an opportunity to respond for reconsideration

• If the examining attorneys doesn’t raise objections, the trademark will be published in the weekly e-pub - Trademark Official Gazette! This then provides the public to file an opposition or request to extend the time to oppose within 30 days of publication.

Application Assistance

1. Hiring a U.S.-licensed attorney

2. Free Patent & Trademark Resource Centers are designated in your state or region. Check the locations website and click by state to find your resource: PTRC locations 

Maintaining the Status 

If no oppositions and the trademark is in current use of commerce, in short, the registration certificate is issued and it’s up to the owner to maintain the status!

Maintenance Schedule & Documents

Three things to maintain registration:

1.  Continue to use your trademark in “commerce”

2. File regular maintenance documents, pay the required fees on time

3. Keep address and correspondence information up to date

Quick Link to Online Websites & References related to USPTO process

Hopefully this is a helpful overview of the many facets of the USPTO website, resources and process to consider and potentially file a Trademark Application!

This blog post does not provide in any way, shape or form legal or financial advice. Contact a licensed patent attorney or government official to gain clarity and make a decision to proceed.