What does filing a trademark mean?
A trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services. It’s how customers recognize you in the marketplace and distinguish you from your competitors. The word “trademark” can refer to both trademarks and service marks.
Does copyright need to be filed?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.
Do you trademark or copyright a word?
A word is not a trademark — unless it is used to identify a product or service for a business in commerce and distinguishes the products/services from others. Historically, a tradesmen who crafted a knife, tools, or guns would place his mark (i.e., symbol, initials, name) on the product.
Are trademark filings public?
Trademark applications and registrations are public records. Individuals and private companies may use this public information to create third-party access to these records.
Why would I need a trademark?
Trademarking is an important step for protecting your brand identity. It will stop competitors from poaching your customers by imitating your brand. It can also offer you some protection if those copycats do something reputation-damaging.
Why is copyright registration necessary?
Registration of a copyright is important to protect the work from unauthorized use or copying as it is a prima facie evidence to prove the ownership of the work and it also provides the owner of the registered copyright to avail the maximum benefit by licensing, assigning and raising capital.
Can a single word be trademarked?
This involves registering a single word as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A trademark is a word, phrase, sign, symbol, or logo used to identify a product’s owner. Trademarks give exclusive rights to a person or company to use a specific mark within an industry.
How do I check if a name is copyrighted?
You can search all applied-for and registered trademarks free of charge by using the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). If your mark includes a design element, you will have to search it by using a design code.
Can you trademark an email address?
In addition to the requirement to file all trademark submissions using TEAS, the following changes also apply: Email addresses required. You will need to provide an owner email address and the email address of your attorney, if you have an attorney. Those addresses cannot be the same.