Quick Overview on Trademarks

The following points are the bare minimum everyone should know if they're involved in selecting, buying or using a trademark.

• A trademark is a brand name or other symbol used to sell goods or services.
• Not all marks receive the same protection, some cannot be registered, others are more expensive to register, while yet others receive strong protection and can be registered more easily.
• Trademarks need not be registered to be protected, but registration gives you certain advantages.  Prior to registering or even using a trademark, you should search to see if your mark will infringe a pre-existing mark.  Registration is more complex than would seem necessary, and more difficult than many cheap providers make it sound.
• There are important rules for using, or letting others use, your trademark.  Failure to adhere to these rules may diminish the strength of your mark, or may even lead to complete abandonment of your trademark rights inadvertently.
• Trademark law is one of the most subjective and complex areas of law today. There are many unexpected court decisions and surprising rejections from the Trademark Office. You must be willing to accept some amount of risk, and a great deal of frustration in order to create & preserve a strong trademark into the future. The rewards for doing so are substantial. A trademark is often considered a business's most valuable asset.