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- #SHOULD I TRADEMARK MY LOGO AS A SMALL BUSINESS HOW TO#
- #SHOULD I TRADEMARK MY LOGO AS A SMALL BUSINESS REGISTRATION#
- #SHOULD I TRADEMARK MY LOGO AS A SMALL BUSINESS CODE#
Intellectual property refers to the ownership of any creation, idea, or design by the person who came up with it.Ī trademark is not just a one time thing any trademark you own has to be an ongoing part of your brand. It is a recognizable mark which differentiates your business from others in the market.Ī trademark signals to others that it is your intellectual property of which you have the exclusive rights to.
#SHOULD I TRADEMARK MY LOGO AS A SMALL BUSINESS REGISTRATION#
For federal registration the Firm can recommend IP transactional attorneys to your business that specialize in those registrations.A trademark is a design, word, phrase, symbol, or logo (or a combination of these things) that identifies your business.
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Oftentimes it is easy enough for a business to register with Florida on its own. The Law Office of David Steinfeld litigates intellectual property disputes such as trademark infringement but does not commonly register the marks. But registering a mark with the USPTO costs much more than $87.50 per class and takes longer than registering with Florida.īoard Certified expert business lawyer David Steinfeld can guide your business as to whether a trade or service mark is right for you and whether a Florida or federal registration will provide an appropriate level of protection for your company. The difference between the two is that marks registered in Florida are afforded the benefits of Florida law whereas marks registered federally are protected under federal law in every state in the union and territories in which federal law applies. The circle "R" symbol - ® - is only allowed for logos or phrases approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office that regulates federally registered marks. State registration in Florida entitles a business to use either the TM or SM marks on its logo, name, or whatever it successfully registers. Titles, character names, and other distinctive features of radio or television programs may be registered as service marks notwithstanding that the person or the programs may advertise the goods of the sponsor.Ī trademark as defined in the Florida Statutes means any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, used by a person to identify and distinguish the goods of such person, including a unique product, from those manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods, even if the source is unknown. Under Florida law a service mark is defined as any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, used by a person to identify and distinguish the services of such person, including a unique service, from the services of others, and to indicate the source of the services, even if that source is unknown. In practical application arguably the trademark is more commonly recognized but if your business provides a service it can use either the SM or TM marks once approved and registered with the State. So this is something to bear in mind when you consider applying for a trademark for your business logo or name.īasically a service mark is designed to protect a service your business performs and a trademark protects a product your business sells. Without disclaiming an interest to those components the trademark application would fail.
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But the trademarked logo is the combination of those two components because a business cannot trademark a courthouse or the letter "e" by themselves. That electronic "e" represents that the Firm is all digital and leverages technology to provide a more efficient service particularly in the area of electronic discovery.
#SHOULD I TRADEMARK MY LOGO AS A SMALL BUSINESS CODE#
One trick to properly completing the form is to disclaim any trademark to common terms or symbols.įor example the logo of the Law Office of David Steinfeld consists of a courthouse and the letter "e" with computer code embedded in it.
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The current cost is $87.50 per class and the registration is good for five years.
#SHOULD I TRADEMARK MY LOGO AS A SMALL BUSINESS HOW TO#
The form explains how to properly complete the registration. Registering a trademark in Florida is a relatively simple process using the form provided on the Sunbiz website.
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