Steps to Obtain a Trademark for Your Small Business

Instructions

• 1

  Instructions:

  
  
  
  Make sure that you spend enough time to design your company logo which exactly reflects your business or services. Further make sure that your logo doesn’t reflect any other business identity, since the market is quite competitive and indeed you have to distinct to project yourself successful amidst the public.
  
  
  When everything is ready, you might think about the best way to protect your business trademark or brand identity from cyber theft, isn’t?  To facilitate the business owners, the USPTO – United States Patent and Trademark Office gives a great chance to file the business trademark.
  
  
  Filing trademark will never let other companies or businesses to use your business identification, whereby you can stand very distinct than the others. Your identification could of any mean such as word, symbol, name, design or anything.
  
  

  Now its time to go through the procedures to obtain a trademark for your small business:
• 2

  Examine the process

  
  

  The primary step in registering your business trademark is to understand what does “Registering a trademark” means? First you had to file an application at the USPTO, which holds the complete responsibility to issue federal trademarks. Once when the trademark is registered, it becomes a registered corporate identity while none other company could use it.
• 3

  Make intense research before filing

  
  

  It is quite significant to make enough research to ensure that no other company has file a corporate identity or trademark like yours. You could research and examine it yourself by visiting the USPTO. Upon exploring the TM database, you can get a complete picture on the trademarks that have been registered already. If you don’t find any of the trademarks matching your design, then it ensures that you can register and file your trademark for approval.
• 4

  File the application to get your trademark registered

  
  

  Once after establishing your trademark design, you can file it to get approval from the USPTO. You can fill the application form by yourself or you can get the assistance of a professional trademark attorney who can aid you better throughout the process. You will be asked to pay a non-refundable fee of $275 or $325. Remember, your trademark will be denied if the form has not been rightly filled.
• 5

  Keep monitoring the status

  
  

  Not just filing the application will give the registered trademark. Make sure that the application will be reviewed by the government and finally you will be called for some clarifications in case of any. You will be issued with an Office Action, and within 6 months time, you had to reply for the action made. In case, if you fail to respond then your file will be considered as neglected and you will get back the fee paid.
• 6

  Final process of registration

  
  

  It takes about 8 – 12 months time for the U.S. Government to acknowledge your corporate branding. You will receive a formal email from the government regarding the procedures for keeping your trademark live and active for years time.