By Maryann Lawrence, Startup Rep, Direct Incorporation
You’ve come up with a great company name. You’ve checked that no other company owns it. Now, how do you protect it from being swiped by someone else? When it comes to protecting your company’s mark, the best defense is a good offense.
- Register your mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
- Use your mark correctly. If your company sells products, you will want to use a trademark, or “TM”. If your company sells services, you’ll want to go with a service mark, or “SM”. If you’ve federally registered your mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, protect it with a registration mark, or “®”.
- Use it or lose it. Make sure your advertising contains your name and mark at least once per page.
- Routinely check search engines to confirm that no one else is using your name. Better yet, consider hiring a watch service to monitor any activity related to your mark.
For more tips on protecting your trademark, check out Inc.’s article, How to Protect Your Trademark From Infringement.
Do you have questions about trademarks, service marks or registration marks? Please leave a comment below and I will try to answer them. Thanks! – Maryann
