Top reasons why your business should register your trademarks
A registered trademark is the identifier of your business, it protects the property of your name, logo, slogan or any brand that you can use to identify the consumer public of your business product or service. Here are some reasons why you need to protect your brand:
Warning
Registering your trademark trademark gives everyone constructive notice of your property. In my opinion, this is one of the most compelling reasons, if not the most important, to register your trademark. With notice, a third party conducting a search for a mark identical or similar to yours will see that you already own the mark and will therefore receive notice that use of a mark identical or similar to yours may result in a trademark infringement. The third party is put on notice to find a new and different brand. With such notice, registering your trademark prevents a potential conflict in the future.
social media
Social networks are an important resource for many companies. Customers search for brand names on various social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Each social media venue has policies in place to protect against inappropriate activity, including inappropriate marketing. Unfortunately, the practice of a person or entity misusing another company’s name or brand on social media for financial gain, for example, is not uncommon. Such inappropriate practices may result in the venue suspending the violator’s social media account. Check the venue’s policies for more information. However, I have found that when you complain to a social media site about such irregularities and claim that someone else is using your brand without permission, the social media manager responds with a request for proof of ownership of the brand in question. Registering a trademark offers convincing proof of trademark ownership.
brand loyalty
Registering your brand shows a commitment to your brand and shows your customers that commitment. The goodwill that can be developed through such engagement is invaluable to a business.
cybersquatting
Cybersquatters register domain names that are identical or similar to third-party trademarks or well-known trademarks for the sole purpose of selling them (to the rightful owner) for a high fee. The CyberSquatting Consumer Protection Act allows a trademark owner to sue and collect damages from persons who register a domain name that is identical or similar to their trademark.
Trademark Renewals
The trademark registration can continue as long as you continue to use the trademark in commerce. There are some companies that have trademarks that are over 100 years old.
Trademark registration may not be for all businesses. However, there are many compelling reasons to protect your brand the same way you protect any other business asset. A trademark is the brand of your business, your identifier. Protect it with trademark registration.