How to Pay for a Trademark
Whether you're a seasoned inventor or you've come up with the next iPhone, legally protecting your idea requires due diligence so nobody steals it. Additionally, you'll have legal recourse to stop anyone who tries. There are numerous ways to obtain idea protection, including patents, copyrights, service marks and trademarks. Once you decide that the latter is the best way to insure your idea against theft, it's time to find the cash to cover those filing fees so your idea gets to market as fast as possible.
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Instructions
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Make sure your idea qualifies as a trademarkable product before you go to the trouble of drumming up filing fees. You must be the sole owner of a physical commodity that's natural, manufactured or produced, and it must be eligible to be sold, distributed or transported via interstate commerce. If your concept meets these criteria, you'll be subject, as of 2011, to a $375 filing fee made payable to the United States Patent and Trademark Office to obtain your credential.
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Turn to friends or relatives. The folks closest to you are most likely to loan or give you the money you'll need to file your application for a Trademark. They know your character, believe in you and your ideas and are the most likely to be willing to make this small investment in your future. No beating around the bush when you ask: Be forthright and honest. If someone is fearful that you'll spend the cash on something else, ask her to make the check payable to the USPTO. You may also wish to draw up a simple contract promising repayment even if you're not asked for one.
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Apply for a credit card that offers you zero percent interest for six months. You'll pay a small fee to get the cash, but once that's been paid, you will have half a year to repay the money at, for example, $62.50 a month. Getting yourself a new credit card with a finite time limit can go a long way to elevating your credit history so you get two benefits: your Trademark filing fee, and a favorable mark on your credit report for repaying the money in a timely manner.
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Use an existing credit card to pay for your Trademark filing fees if you'd prefer not to open another line of credit. Like most businesses these days, the government will be happy to take your MasterCard or Visa in payment for your fees; and this method is particularly helpful if you decide to file via the USPTO website, rather than taking the slower "snail-mail" application route.
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File electronically to save a bundle. Use the government's Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) and your bill will drop from $375 to either $325 or $275, depending upon the type of trademark seek. You can also keep tabs on your application's progress via the Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) database by e-filing. You may still need to repay the cash, but you'll have less to pay back if you take the electronic filing route.
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