| In marketing, there is a particular strategy known as | | | | effort to swipe your customers or confuse the public. |
| branding. In many ways, trademarks are designed to | | | | With your mark, you can sue to stop the infringement |
| protect your brand from use by others. | | | | and recover monetary damages suffered. Basically, a |
| An Introduction to Trademarks | | | | trademark is a hammer for stopping nefarious conduct |
| A trademark is a form of intellectual property. | | | | cold. |
| Intellectual property is owned by the person or | | | | To obtain a trademark, you must have patience, |
| business creating it. With practically all forms of | | | | patience and more patience. The mark is obtained |
| intellectual property, however, you have to take steps | | | | through the Patent and Trademark Office. It is a very |
| to formally notify the world of your property and | | | | slow process. You or your attorney do a search to |
| protect it. | | | | make sure are not in conflict with any previous marks. |
| A trademark is a distinctive mark used to identify a | | | | You then file an application and begin waiting. Within 8 |
| product, company, service or device. When you think | | | | weeks, the Patent and Trademark Office will send |
| about it, you are very familiar with trademarks. At the | | | | you a notification indicating they acknowledge receiving |
| risk of being sued to the high heavens, the following | | | | your application. Just receiving it! You will then wait |
| are trademarks: Coca Cola, Pepsi, Google, EBay and | | | | another 6 months or so to hear if the application is |
| Toyota. Each of these words mean something to you | | | | accepted. Often you will receive correspondence |
| and are readily identifiable with a product or service in | | | | asking for clarification or raising a problem. You then |
| your mind. When you think of EBay, you immediately | | | | provide a response and wait. Months will pass. |
| think of an online auction site that was originally | | | | Eventually, the back and forth will come to final result. If |
| created so the owner's girlfriend could trade Pez | | | | your trademark application is accepted, it will be |
| dispensers [true]. When you think of Toyota, you think | | | | published and you are protected. The process is so |
| of cars. This is the power of brand recognition and | | | | lengthy that it is not uncommon for it take well over a |
| trademarks are used to protect them. | | | | year for the application to be approved. In short, you |
| A trademark is a powerful thing when it comes to the | | | | are going to need a lot of patience. |
| law. If you obtain a trademark, it is binding nationwide | | | | While obtaining a trademark can take forever, it is well |
| and others are not allowed to infringe upon it in an | | | | worth the effort. |