Trademark and Domain Names A business can spend a lot of time, capital, energy in building rights in a trademark and the associated goodwill with the public. It can be devastating when a third party registers a domain name and operates a website incorporating a confusingly similar name to that of the valuable trademark. The […]
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If your company has developed software, it should create a software license prior to distribution of that software. A software license is the key instrument that defines the rights in ownership, usage, and distribution of software between the company and user(s). Developers seek to protect rights in the product developed with their time, money, and […]
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You’ve probably read about the recent dispute between Best Buy, owner of the “Geek Squad” trademarks, and Father Luke Strand of Holy Family Catholic Church, (former?) owner of a VW Beetle adorned with a “God Squad” logo. One of the ways that Best Buy uses the Geek Squad trademark is in a logo form on […]
Read More...Frequently I encounter businesses seeking to protect a brand name. In discussing the actions taken to date taken, owners frequently state that they have registered the domain name corresponding to the desired brand name. Frequently, they believe that their name is “reserved” or protected because they have already successfully reserved the domain name. It is […]
Read More...For emerging businesses, the business name is often synonymous to its branding. The business name may be used in the first product name, domain name, and advertising. A lot of time, money, and thought can be expended while creating that business name and building goodwill in it. An often overlooked aspect of this process is […]
Read More...Recently I had a discussion with a business who had been using a trademark since about 2004. Unfortunately, it had not registered the trademark. In the meantime, another business had started using a similar version of the mark and also had substantially completed the registration process. Thus the business was in a difficult situation. Sure, […]
Read More...Recently a suit was filed against Microsoft based on the name of its Bing search engine for trademark infringement and other bases. The complaint was recently filed, so a lot of information is not yet available. However, useful information for trademark and brand planning for startups can be gleaned from the news articles, court filings, and USPTO records, and company websites.
Read More...Frequently, the owner of those rights may choose to seek the advantages of registering the trademark. Typical steps involved in the registration process include:
1.
performing a search
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preparing and submitting the trademark application
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and responding to issues raised by the trademark office
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