How to Protect a Company Trademark

The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office processes several hundred thousand trademark applications yearly. A company trademark is a primary asset that identifies a product to consumers. It's the company's brand name. The responsibility to protect a trademark rests with the company.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Register the company trademark early to protect the right of ownership. This process involves filing an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

2. Place the correct symbol next to the trademark wherever the trademark appears. In superscript, use TM for trademark while waiting for registration then a superscript R surrounded by a circle after its official registration.

3. Use the trademark as a noun in advertising and in all printed or verbal forms of communication.

4. Make the trademark distinctive when it's not part of a text by changing the font or color to separate it from the text.

5. Apply the trademark to all company letterheads, invoices, packaging, brochures, envelopes and websites.

6. Monitor for any misuse of your trademark by doing a search on several different Internet search engines.

Tips & Warnings

• Renew your company trademark every 10 years at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• When using your trademark without the symbol "R" in text you can place an asterisk after it and at the bottom of the page write either "Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office" or "Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off."
• Infringement happens when another company uses your trademark and consumers associate the product with your company. Consult with your attorney or a specialized patent and trademark attorney for possible legal actions.
• When your trademark is officially registered, it automatically obtains protection internationally through the treaty of the Paris Convention. The date of your U.S. trademark serves as the date for all countries signed on as members. The earliest date receives the rights of usage.