Business
Where to I get the registered name?
The records of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) are a great resource for identifying whether or not you have the legal right to use a particular mark. If you want to know whether or not you have this legal right, you should look through these records. You will also need to check the records to ensure that no one else has registered the same or a similar mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Trademark Office or received a US trademark application for registration of a similar or identical mark from the USPTO. This is another step that you will need to take.
By a wide margin, the most popular type of trademark is known as a “federal” or “common law” mark. [Here’s a good example:] There is only one location where you are able to file a trademark that is federal, and that is with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A state trademark, on the other hand, is only valid within the boundaries of the state in which it was initially applied for registration. This is the case regardless of where the trademark is used.
You are required to register your trademark with the federal government in order to safeguard the use of your brand name throughout the entirety of the United States. If you would like the name of your business to be included on this list, you will be required to file an application for a US trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) through their Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) (TEAS).
A US trademark registration is a registration with the federal government that designates the mark in question and indicates that the owner of the mark (in this case, “John Smith”) has exclusive rights to use it. Registered: An indication that the owner of the mark (in this case, “John Smith”) has exclusive rights to use it, a US trademark registration designates the mark in question.
If you do not intend to use your name as a trademark for an entertainment services business and instead only want to use it as an identifier for your personal name, then you do not need to register it with the USPTO. However, if you do intend to use your name as a trademark for an entertainment services business, then you must register it with the USPTO. If you are not using your name as a trademark for your entertainment services company, this is the situation you will find yourself in. An application that is known as an intent-to-use application can still be submitted by you. In this kind of application, you state that you want to use your own name in connection with a company that will, at some time in the future, offer entertainment services, and that this company will supply those services. Others who become aware of your preparations will have the opportunity to begin utilising their own markings before yours are completed as a result of this (but after filing). In the event that you require additional time before submitting, this buys it for you.
You need to be aware that registering a trademark in any jurisdiction does not guarantee that you will have exclusive rights to the mark, and this is something you need to keep in mind at all times. To put it another way, registration does not prevent other parties from using marks that are similar to or identical to the registered mark for their own goods or services; it merely notifies consumers of the existence of the registered mark. However, it does bring numerous benefits:
Constructive notice of your claim to the exclusive right to use the mark in connection with the items and/or services indicated in your application is provided when you establish registration for your mark. When you register your mark, this notice is subsequently established. (You may have the right to sue under a federal statute known as the Lanham Act if you file a complete application within five years after the first time that you used your mark, and if you are successful, you will be entitled to receive attorneys’ fees.) If you do this, you will be able to protect your trademark.
The ® symbol, which denotes that anyone who sees it can be certain that it is being used as a legally registered trademark rather than an unregistered common law mark, can be used next to your trademark if you register it. This indicates that anyone who sees it can be certain that it is being used as a legally registered trademark. When determining whether there are grounds for infringement and/or dilution claims, trademark law requires courts to generally take into consideration whether there has already been some degree of actual consumer confusion between two trademarks, and having a registration is one factor in this decision.
Even if you are submitting the USPTO trademark application on behalf of more than one individual, you should make sure that you identify only one of the people listed on the application as the applicant. Be sure to include each individual partner as an applicant even if you are submitting the application as a partnership. The applicant should be listed as the company or other form of legal entity if it is a corporation or another sort of legal entity.
When it comes time to register with Canada’s Trade-marks Office, if you are applying on behalf of a joint venture and were required to choose an agent or representative, then that agent or representative is considered to be your applicant. This is the case even if you are the one submitting the application. This is the case regardless of whether you are filing by yourself or not (TM Office).
This is helpful in establishing whether or not there is a chance of confusion with other trademarks registered or pending in the records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The trademark office uses this information to assess whether or not the mark is in use and whether or not it requires any revisions in order for it to be published for consideration during the opposition period (a time when others can oppose your application).
The following is a summary of the conclusion: If you want to register a trademark in the United States, you should now be aware of the information that needs to be included on your application. If you want to opt for trademark registration in Canada, you should now be aware of the information that needs to be included on your application. There are a lot of different options to choose from, so you shouldn’t let yourself get too hung up on finding the perfect name for your company or product. You are free to make any necessary changes whenever it is convenient for you in the future.