How to protect your business trademark?

A trademark is a type of tangible and intellectual property owned by a business that consists of a recognizable sign or design which uniquely identifies products or services of a particular company or entity from those of others. Your brand represents you in the market. It sets you apart. When we hear of amazon, their logo pops up into our brain instantly. We think of coca-cola, and a gush of red and black comes in our mind. Mc Donald’s brand is hard to forget. They all have their unique trademarks. This is why a logo is essential. It represents the significant value that appeals to its target audience. They speak to their customers through this.

Counterfeits, copycats, and forgers are never in short supply. Why? They all want to use another company’s brand to sell their products through trickery. Customers are often oblivious to the specificities of a trademark pertaining to a specific brand, which is precisely how they are tricked into buying counterfeit products or services. Therefore, it becomes essential to protect your trademark. Here are ABC methods you can do so :

1. Be sure of your trademark

An excellent defensive game plan starts with the offense. Before registering your trademark, consult a US licensed trademark attorney. This is important because trademark attorneys are good at realizing if the desired logo can be defended if necessary or not. Because often, a trademark may coincide with another business’s logo. Intentionally or unintentionally, consulting a US licensed trademark attorney will help you evaluate all possibilities you may encounter in the court of law, down the line.

2. All associated accounts must use the same trademark

Once you have successfully registered your trademark after thorough consultation by a US licensed trademark attorney, all you need to do is register everything associated with it through its name. This involves logos, brand schemes, slogans, products, services, etc. You must register these peripherals at the same time as well. This is often strongly advised by trademark attorneys. What this will accomplish is that it will stop anyone else from copying your business’s product or brand symbol or any other feature. If you consult a US licensed trademark attorney, they will suggest you even register any ideas you may have for future use.

3. Iterate the trademark on all your Social Media

Digital marketing has become a necessity for businesses in today’s date. Social media is where most companies reach their target audience. This means if someone is using your trademark as their own, then all the potential leads or conversions you pull on any social media will be funneled straight to them. Now, this would lead to lawsuits and damages incurred to both parties, not to mention the wastage of time. Although, if such a case comes up, always call a US licensed trademark attorney for their services. Trademark attorneys are necessary to ensure there is no infringement borne against you.

To avoid this, you must put your brand name or trademark on any social media handle that you possess. Here’s a checklist to help you out when deciding which social media to claim for your mark:

• Facebook – Social Media
• Twitter – Microblogging & social networking
• Instagram – Photo/video-sharing social networking service
• Snapchat – Multimedia messaging app
• Medium – Publishing platform
• Reddit – Social news aggregation & discussion website
• Tumblr – Microblogging & social networking
• GitHub – A repository hosting service
• LinkedIn – Employment oriented service platform
• eBay – customer-to-customer sales website
• Twitch – video live streaming service
• Skype – peer to peer video chatting service
• Pinterest – a social network where people look for inspiration through images
• Google Plus – Google’s social network service
• Youtube – Video sharing platform

4. Keep track of the trademark’s renewal

Monitoring your logo may sound simple, but you would be surprised by the number of trademarks that are just sitting there with no one to renew them. Intellectual properties cost around 49 bucks to register. But if you do not want any shady clauses in your registration and someone to proofread them correctly, you can always look to a US licensed trademark attorney. Trademark Lawyer charge you as little as $100 for consultation, but if you look at the numerous added benefits that far outweigh the cost, you will see it as a good investment into your business.

Federal trademark registration may last up to 10 years, but only if you file a section 8 affidavit that the trademark is still in use between the fifth and sixth year of registration. Though it seems like a long time, most businesses often lose track of it quickly. Competitors often use this opportunity in destructive ways. To make your business trademark last indefinitely, you should make sure to file all necessary maintenance documents deemed necessary by the state. With careful action and trust in a US trademark lawyer, you can fearlessly protect your business trademark.