When you decide to launch your own business, you know you need to come up with a great business name, logo and even a marketing slogan customers will remember. You may not realize how valuable those items are as you seek to build your brand. As a result, you may not realize why you need trademark protection for them.
Understanding the value of a trademark
You don’t want another business to come along and take your great business name, logo or slogan. Think of how closely you associate McDonald’s famous golden arches with that brand. Or how easily you link “the quicker picker upper” with Bounty paper towels. You want to protect your business’ name, logo or slogan with trademarks so only your business can use these. Without trademark protection, another business can take the great marketing slogan you came up with and use it as their own.
You want your customers to easily find you and distinguish your brand from your competition. You want your customers to be able to pick your product out from store shelves because of your company logo or quickly recognize your store’s logo on your business sign. When a customer likes what you’re selling, they will be looking for your logo and brand name specifically.
You also don’t want to let your customers be confused. If another business uses a similar business name, logo or slogan, that can happen. Not only can you lose customers as a result, but the reputation of your brand can be diminished. If a lower-quality product mimics your logo or product name, your brand’s reputation can suffer if customers can’t tell them apart.
Obtaining a trademark
If you are unsure what trademarks your company may need, you should consult an experienced intellectual property attorney. An IP attorney can help guide you in obtaining the trademarks your business needs and ensuring your business isn’t infringing on another business’ trademarked intellectual property.
You don’t want to make the task of building your brand recognition and reputation more difficult. Getting your company name, logo, product names and marketing slogans trademarked is one way to ensure your business can build strong brand recognition with customers for years to come.