If you own a business, you understand how critical your competitive advantage is to the long-term success of your company. Your competitive advantage could be based on things such as secret formulas, unique processes and other types of proprietary information. It may also be based on things such as your branding, including logos, color schemes and more. As you would any other type of business asset, you will work diligently to protect these things from theft and improper use.
One way you can do this is by seeking the legal protections you need, such as through trademarks. By taking the appropriate steps to shield these assets, you can protect your Connecticut business from unfair competition. Your logo and related branding are how customers will identify you, and registering your trademark is a critical step you can take to ensure that you have control over how those visual elements are used.
The registration process
As you consider the legal steps you should take to protect your business assets, it may be helpful to first determine whether or not you should register a trademark. You can register trademarks for many business names, identifying branding icons and more. Once you have determined whether or not you should move forward with this process, you will take the following steps to protect your property:
- You will need to prepare your application. This includes determining the exact thing that needs to be trademarked, whether it is an icon, name, good or service, or even a sound. You will need to understand your basis for filing and complete all necessary paperwork.
- After preparing the paperwork and completing the application, you can then file the paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office through the Trademark Electronic Application System.
- The USPTO will review your application, and then it is forwarded to the examining attorney who will review the entire application. The review process can take months to complete, and eventually you will receive a letter explaining the result of your application.
The trademark registration process is complex, and you will benefit from having knowledgeable insight at every step. This can ensure that you do not experience any unnecessary setbacks or complications during this process. It may be helpful to seek an assessment of your case to understand whether you need to register a trademark or what steps you need to take to protect all types of intellectual property.