Protecting your brand is an important part of building your business and maintaining your customers’ trust.
A trademark identifies the product your company sells. For example, Apple is a trade name, while the iPhone is a trademark for the smartphones sold by Apple.
Crucial brand elements like your company’s name, logo and tagline should be protected so that no other company can enter the market and use your identity to sell their product or service. One of the earliest steps you can take to protect your brand is to register your trademark.
Start protecting your brand and products with these five practical tips about trademark law:
1. Do a trademark search before you settle on a trade name (company name) and/or logo.
2. Register your trademark.
3. Maintain your trademark if you’ve registered it.
4. You can file a trademark application before you use a mark in commerce.
5. Understand the Permitted and Prohibited Uses When You Use Another Company’s trade name or logo.
Watch the video for more detail on these five tips, plus the basics of trademark law for business.
