AFRICAN CONSULT

The Importance of Trademarks Registering a trademark is an important step in any business venture—one that should not be overlooked. By protecting the name of your business, products or services, you ensure that others cannot use the trademarked words or designs. If you fail to secure such protection, anyone can start using your ideas, and in some cases they may demand that you stop using what they now claim is their trademark. When you have secured the rights to your trademark, it is an asset that holds value and can be sold or licensed to others. Therefore, registering a federal trademark is an essential component to any business. Trademark – What Is It? A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. There are two basic types of marks: trademarks and service marks. A service mark is the same as a trademark but w...

The Importance of Trademarks in Business Trademark is essentially another word for brand or brand name. A trademark can be any name, word, symbol, slogan, or device that serves to both identify and distinguish a business or product from others in the market. Once you have trademarked your business, if someone else makes an attempt to use something similar enough to confuse customers, you have the right to legally protect yourself and stop the other party. Is Your Business Eligible For a Trademark? According to US Patent and Trademark rules, in order to be eligible for a trademark, a mark must be distinctive and in use in commerce. If you have a mark that does yet have commercial standing, you can still obtain a trademark by making a good faith argument in writing to use the symbol at some point in the future for commerce. There are four different categories of distinctiveness for trademarks including descriptive, suggestive, fanciful or arbitrary, and generic. ...