San Antonio, Texas Businesses Use Cohn Legal for Trademark Services
Cohn Legal, PLLC is a startup and trademark legal firm that provides service to clients in San Antonio, Texas, and throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. Our goal is to provide our clients with exceptional legal guidance and support at cost-effective rates.
Top 8 Questions San Antonio Businesses Have About Obtaining a Trademark
Will registering my trademark protect my business?
Making sure that you register your trademark is actually one of the most important ways to protect your business and your brand. Once you register your trademark, your business gains what is called “the presumption of nationwide validity.” That means your trademark is protected from infringement in all 50 states and you can take legal action if someone uses it without your permission.
Should I conduct a trademark search before filing my application?
It’s always a smart idea to conduct a trademark search before filing your application with the USPTO. good practice. You can access the USPTO’s database of registered trademarks and pending trademarks to search for a trademark that may be similar to the one you registered.
If your search reveals that no trademarks are similar to yours, then you can proceed with a degree of confidence. However, if you do find a mark similar to yours that already exists, try not to be too disappointed. It’s better that you have this information earlier in the process, before you’ve invested time and money into developing marketing materials, packaging, signage, websites, and anything else that would bear your logo.
Can I trademark an essay?
No. Remember, trademarks are brand identifiers – the purpose of a trademark is to allow a simple branding asset (name, logo, slogan) to attach to a product or service and identify the source company responsible for the sale. An essay is governed by Copyright law instead as it serves no “brand-identifying” purpose.
How long does a trademark last?
If you keep up with the renewal deadlines set by the USPTO, then your trademark will never expire. Your first renewal will come up around 5 years from the date you first registered the mark and the second will come 5 years after that. Then, all subsequent renewals will be required every 10 years. You can hire a trademark attorney to help you keep track of these dates and file the paperwork for you.
Will my Email Address be listed in my Trademark Application?
While we need to submit your email address when submitting your trademark application, only the USPTO can see it. It will not be made available to the public.
Does my business need multiple trademarks?
You will most likely have to submit more than one trademark application for your business. For example, you may want to obtain one trademark for your business name, one for your logo, and one for the name of your product or service. The trademark attorneys at Cohn Legal can help you determine how many trademarks you should apply for.
Will my trademark protect my brand in other countries?
No, the trademark that you register with the USPTO will only protect your intellectual property within the United States. If you do business outside the Unites States, either through online sales, manufacturing, or distribution, you should consider registering your trademarks in those countries as well.
What is TEAS?
TEAS stands for the Trademark Electronic Application System. This online portal enables you to submit your trademark application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and pay your application fees.
The USPTO offers three different types of applications to choose from when registering your trademarks. Each has its own fee:
1. The TEAS Plus Filing option is $225 per class of goods or services.
2. The TEAS Reduced Fee option is $275 per class of goods or services.
3. The TEAS Regular Filing option is $400 per class of goods or services.
Why Trademark Registration Matters for San Antonio Businesses
San Antonio is a diverse city filled with ambitious business owners and proud residents. It’s simply a wonderful location to start a new venture. Just be sure to trademark your intellectual property early in the process. It can save you from enduring a lot of headaches down the road.
Imagine the following: Cindy has worked for years to create a new line of organic smoothies. She calls her new product Jungle Jam Smoothies and wants to sell it in local grocery stores. Cindy knows about trademark registration and contacts an attorney to help her with the next steps.
The attorney conducts a thorough search and finds that no one has trademarked the name Jungle Jam Smoothies. He then helps Cindy submit the application. Once the application is approved, Cindy knows she can move forward with confidence.
She prints labels, creates a website and develops marketing materials. Soon after, her bottled smoothies are on store shelves and selling faster than Cindy even imagined.
Had Cindy moved ahead without doing a trademark search, the outcome could have been much different. If another company already registered a similar name for a smoothie-related product, then they could have prevented Cindy from moving forward and asked her to pull her products off of store shelves.
If you have an idea for a new business, be sure to speak to an experienced trademark attorney first. Your attorney can give you advice on what pieces of intellectual property need to be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
If you have questions about trademark registration, then contact the attorneys at Cohn Legal for a no-cost trademark consultation.
** Cohn Legal, PLLC is not located in San Antonio and yet it can assist businesses from Texas in registering a federal Trademark because trademarks are governed under federal law.