trademark your logo
The logo design process involves so much more than just the design itself, once you have chosen the logo for your brand you would want to secure the trademark rights to it, trademark your logo! Trademark is about protecting things that identify a business in the marketplace, and logos are among the most important means of identification of every company. In other words, a trademark allows you to make sure no one else is going to use your logo or similar versions of it.
Some companies don’t give their logos the importance they deserve and they never trademark them. Registering a trademark shows ownership and the public sees trademark as a sign of professionalism and it gives them confidence and increases their trust in the brand. But it is not just about status, it is about the ability to defend your company’s logo through legal actions and prevent infringements or fraud.
The first step towards trademarking your logo is to make sure no other brand, person or company has already trademarked it before, and maybe this is something you should look out while in the process of designing your logo, we don’t want any surprises!
Once you are 100% sure that no one else is using your logo, it is time to secure the trademark rights to it, in the United States there are three ways to do this, you can gain these rights by constantly using your logo in your products and/or services, but these rights are limited to the geographical area in which you are using it, so this could give you more than one headache if you’re planning on expanding to other regions; but if this is not your case, the second way is to file an application to register your trademark with the Secretary of State’s office for the state or states you’re going to do business with. But if you know you’re going to do business with several states or if you already are, but haven’t trademarked your logo, it is better to file a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, this way will guarantee that you have trademark rights to your logo all over the country.
Remember that your logo is the face that everyone sees, it is what gives the public the ability to make connections with your brand and to engage emotionally with it, so make sure you protect it the same way you would protect your products and services, so if you haven’t done it yet, it would be wise to hire a good attorney that can lead you and help you make the best decision for your company.
It is never too early to trademark your logo, don’t wait until it is too late!