{"id":10451,"date":"2014-12-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-18T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=10451"},"modified":"2020-03-30T18:43:34","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T22:43:34","slug":"exactly-trademark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/exactly-trademark","title":{"rendered":"What exactly is a trademark?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A trademark is the legal term for what is commonly known as a brand.\u00a0 It is a word, phrase, symbol or design (or any combination of these) that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.\u00a0 Examples of trademarks are Facebook for social media services, McDonald\u2019s for restaurant services, Toyota for cars, and Barbie for dolls.<\/p>\n

Businesses adopt and use brands, and are able to prevent third parties from using the same or confusingly similar brands.<\/p>\n

Trademarks are assets that can become highly valuable. According to a report published by\u00a0Interbrand<\/a>, Apple is the most valuable brand in the world, worth an estimated $118 billion dollars!\u00a0 Other reputable companies like Google, Coca Cola, IBM, and Microsoft follow Apple.<\/p>\n

No matter how big or small your business, it is often a good idea to clear and register your trademark(s), and build brand equity.<\/p>\n

Before you adopt a trademark, it is important to \u201cclear\u201d it \u2013 to make sure that a third party is not using the same or a confusingly similar mark.\u00a0 This will prevent you from receiving a cease and desist letter, or from being sued from trademark infringement.\u00a0 Performing trademark clearance also helps clear the way to file your own application to register the trademark.\u00a0 In the United States, a trademark application is filed and prosecuted in the\u00a0United States Patent and Trademark Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A trademark application can be based on either (a) a \u201cbona fide intention to use\u201d the mark, which essentially allows you to reserve a mark for up to three years after allowance of the application by the Trademark Office, (b) actual use of the mark in the United States, or (c) ownership of a foreign application or registration.<\/p>\n

The benefits of owning a United States trademark registration include the following:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A registration serves as public notice of your claim of ownership of the trademark.\u00a0 Your trademark will be included in the United States Patent and Trademark Office\u2019s online, searchable database.\u00a0 This will discourage others from using the same or a confusingly similar trademark<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A legal presumption of your ownership of the mark and your exclusive right to use the mark nationwide on or in connection with the goods or services listed in the registration.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The right to use the federal registration symbol \u00ae<\/span> when the mark is registered and used in connection with the goods or services listed in the registration.\u00a0 (Before a mark is registered, you can use the \u2122 symbol for a trademark and the \u2120 symbol for a service mark.)\u00a0 Use of these symbols provides notice of your trademark rights, and puts competitors on notice that you are serious about enforcing those rights.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The right to file an infringement lawsuit in federal court, and in certain cases, enhanced damages and attorneys\u2019 fees if you are the prevailing party.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The ability to use the U.S. registration as a basis to obtain registration in foreign countries.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The ability to record the U.S. registration with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Service to prevent importation of infringing foreign goods.<\/p>\n

Please feel free to\u00a0contact me\u00a0<\/a>with questions you may have about the clearance, prosecution and enforcement of trademarks in the United States and around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A trademark is the legal term for what is commonly known as a brand.\u00a0 It is a word, phrase, symbol or design (or any combination of these) that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.\u00a0 Examples of trademarks are Facebook for social media services, McDonald\u2019s for restaurant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1121,"featured_media":10592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat exactly is a trademark?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A trademark is the legal term for what is commonly known as a brand.\u00a0 It is a word, phrase, symbol or design (or any 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