Trademark Development and Registration
A trademark is a word, symbol, design, graphic, slogan, or combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes products or services for consumers. The process of creating, registering, and protecting your trademark can be challenging, but it is critical to the future of your small business.
STAGE 1 — CREATION of YOUR TRADEMARK
When creating a trademark for your new company or product, there are many important factors to consider. It is critical that the mark be distinctive, and you should avoid generic, descriptive, and/or misleading terms. Using a person’s name can cause problems, and beware of how a name might translate into a foreign language, especially if you may expand into foreign markets. For example, the car name Nova translates as “no go” in Spanish. Legal counsel can provide critical guidance as to how to make your trademark distinctive and increase its strength, while avoiding conflicts with prior users of similar marks….
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