What is a poor man's trademark? It refers to the practice of mailing a copy of your logo or design to yourself to prove creation date. It offers no legal protection.
The cheapest way to get a trademark is to file a state trademark application, which is typically less expensive than a federal trademark application.
The cheapest way to get a trademark is to file a state trademark application, which is typically less expensive than a federal trademark application.
You can get this for your brand by registering at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Anyone can use a TM symbol regardless of whether they've successfully registered the trademark, or whether they've applied for a trademark at all.
As of this writing, a California trademark filing costs $70.
Under the “first to file” system, there exists no value in obtaining a Poor Man's Patent since it now only matters who filed for the patent first and not who came up with the idea first. Essentially, a Poor Man's Patent has about as much value today as the postage affixed to the envelope.
The Poor Man's Patent Is Obsolete Being the first to invent will no longer save you is someone else filed first. So even if you did write out the idea for your invention and mailed it to yourself, that date would not matter.