We not only search the USPTO database for identical and similar marks using a sophisticated, paid search tool, we also conduct a broader internet search to find out if another company in a similar field is using the mark you want to register.Īnd, if your company is making a major investment in the brand associated with the mark, we can get an even deeper search that will turn up companies already using the mark you would never have found on your own. The search that LegalZoom includes in its basic registration will only search the USPTO database for identical marks that have been registered - not any similar mark that the USPTO could (and will!) use to deny your application. LegalZoom's trademark search will not protect you. This saves you money in the long run, because if the USPTO rejects your application, you can’t try again without paying the full registration fee a second time. LegalZoom will not help you choose a mark that’s likely to be registered. There are other tricky rules about trademarks that incorporate your name (usually a no-go) or a geographic location (like “Nashville Tire Store”, again, no good).

Choosing a great trademark is the first step in the registration process.Ī trademark has to be distinctive - you generally can’t register a business called “The Plumbing Parts Store” because that’s just descriptive of what you’re selling, it’s not distinctive.

The USPTO denies applications for a lot of reasons, but the main ones are that the mark being applied for is not distinctive enough to be registered, or the USPTO attorney finds a similar mark that’s already registered, or because the wrong information was submitted with the application.

Why should you pay our firm to handle registering your trademark when you could pay LegalZoom a lot less?ĭid you know that the trademark system is actually set up to deny your trademark application? The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) actually assigns an “examining attorney” to review every application, and these attorneys’ job is to find a reason to deny your application.

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