Redact Legal North Dakota Trademarks Forms For Free

Unlike patents and copyrights, trademarks do not expire after a set period of time. Trademarks will persist so long as the owner continues to use the trademark. Once the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), grants a registered trademark, the owner must continue to use the trademark in ordinary commerce.

Registering a trademark helps protect a name or brand from intellectual property theft or misuse as a business grows. You can start the trademarking process on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website. The application can be completed fairly quickly, but the entire process may take several months.

In this context, use means offering your product or service under that brand to the public. Registering your trademark will not prevent anyone from identifying your brand or mentioning your name in various venues. As long as they do not sell your product or a similar product under your brand, there is no ?use.?

Federal trademark registration is a legal proceeding. When you file a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), you are initiating a legal proceeding. For that reason, the USPTO strongly encourages you to hire an attorney to assist you.

A person or company should never use a trademark or logo without written permission from its owner. To get permission and avoid trademark infringement, write a letter to the trademark owner.

What Is the Difference Between a Patent and a Trademark? Patents prevent others from making or selling an invention. Trademarks protect the words, symbols, sounds, or logos used to identify the source of goods or services. This stops its usage by other competitors.