A federally registered trademark is a tremendous asset which offers countless benefits to the growth and success of any company. Registered trademarks will not only be highly beneficial in protecting the name and logo of a business, but are also invaluable in use in connection with products, product lines, services, smells, sounds, the appearance of product packaging, the look of company buildings, etc. Below is a nonexclusive list of of the benefits registered trademarks provide and why registered trademarks will be invaluable assets to you and your company.

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1. A Trademark Is Property. A house, land, car, or other items of personal property are property which come with certain legal rights (e.g., the right to sell, the right to rent, and the right to exclude others from use). Similarly, a trademark is property, referred to as intellectual property, which also comes with certain legal rights. For example, a registered trademark gives you the right to exclude others, including competitors, from using your trademark or even similar wording or similar designs throughout the entire United States. You may also sell your registered trademark to another or grant a license to others to use your trademark outright or under specific conditions that you may set.

 

2. A Trademark Increases the Value of Your Business. As property, a registered trademark adds significant value to your business. As discussed above, a trademark is a property right which adds monetary value to your business. In addition, a trademark can be licensed to third parties under any condition you may set, including that you receive monthly royalty payments. Furthermore, investors will be more likely to invest in companies which have strong trademark portfolios. In addition, a strong trademark is a source to draw consumers to your products and services over those of competitors as a registered trademark allows you to use the circle "r" which gives your brand the look of prestige and professionalism in the eyes of consumers. 

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3. A Trademark Gives You a Competitive Edge. Your trademark is a symbol, in the eyes of consumers, representative of your goods and/or services. If you have worked hard to develop quality goods and/or services and consumers have come to recognize that, simply placing your trademark on your goods and/or services will draw consumers to you rather than to competitors. With a registered trademark, you will be able to block competitors throughout the entire United States from using your trademark, or even words or designs similar to your trademark, so that that consumers will not be confused into thinking your competitors goods are actually your goods. Thus, you will prevent competitors from free riding off of your goodwill.

 

4. The Trademark Office Will Prevent Others From Using Your Trademark For You. When you obtain a registered trademark, you will want to prevent others from using your mark. Knowingly letting others use your trademark without a licensing agreement could be grounds to cancelling your trademark and losing the associated rights. As you will want to keep your eyes open for infringers, the United States Trademark Office will help you with this process. First, they will place your trademark on their list of federally registered marks so that the world will have notice that you have claimed exclusive rights to use your trademark in the United States. Thus, others will be deterred from using your mark. Second, if anyone tries to register a word or design that is similar to your trademark such that it would cause confusion among consumers, the Trademark Office will deny them from registering the mark. Thus, you will have a built in service which prevents others from registering similar marks for as long as you use your trademark.  

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5. A Small Investment May Secure Trademark Rights Indefinitely. The rights which come from registering a trademark are rights which could potentially last forever. A small initial investment to have your trademark registered properly or to argue past an initial rejection to get to registration could potentially provide years and years of value to your company. All of the rights and benefits associated with a registered trademark may stand indefinitely for so long as the trademark is used in association with the good or service it was registered for. Thus, a registered trademark provides huge value for years to come in light of the initial investment to obtain those rights.

 

The list above outlines some of the many benefits you will receive upon proper registration of your trademark. Contact our trademark attorneys today to have your trademark questions answered and to secure your trademark rights.