![]() Visit the official United States Trademark Office website. Thankfully, the trademark office gives you the tools needed. Even if you have never heard the name spoken or heard in any form of media, it may still be trademarked. However, you can definitely trademark your logo if it’s unique enough.Īfter you’re sure you’re not wasting time and money on your trademark, its time to make sure the trademark is available. If you had a burger shop and name it “The Burger Shop” or something else very generic, you probably don’t have a good chance of that going through. It has to be unique, not already trademarked, and certainly not generic. For example, if you are trademarking your company name, that name has to be original. Filing For a Trademarkīefore you begin applying for a trademark, take a minute to make sure the content can be trademarked. Let’s take a look at how to begin filing for each one. The difference between the two is quite significant. Under no circumstance can the GreenGeeks logo be used without permission, but if it was just a copyright, it could be used under fair use. Some content can be shown or used under the “Fair Use” clause of Copyright law, while this is not allowed if the content is Trademark protected. They are both original content for your website, but you do not get the same protection level. The logo is protected by a Trademark, while the image would be covered under Copyright since it is our original content. Here is an image to help visitors during one of our tutorials: No, they do not, or at least they shouldn’t if set up correctly. Wait a minute, it sounds like copyrights can cover stuff that trademarks can. These include things like your business name, logo, symbol, mascot, or any other distinguishable mark. Trademark: Any distinguishable mark or image that represents your brand or business. This includes images, text posts, and any other content that you create to use on your website. Here are simple ways to explain what each one protects:Ĭopyright: Any original content you create on your website will be protected. It is true that both protect your intellectual property from being used without your consent, but they protect different types of content in different ways. TrademarkĪ very big misconception is that copyrights and trademarks are the same things, but that couldn’t be more wrong. ![]() Of course, following through to defend your property can cost thousands in legal fees and you need to make sure your case is strong enough. Any use of your property without your consent can have legal repercussions. On the other hand, if you plan on expanding your website and do business internationally, you need to file for these protections now.Ĭopyrights and Trademarks give you the exclusive right to decide who uses your intellectual property. Even without filing for a copyright or trademark your intellectual property is still protected in the United States. For example, if you plan on running a small website or blog and don’t plan on expanding, your content is already protected. Why Do You Need a Copyright or Trademark Filed Today, I will walk you through the process of filing a Copyright and Trademark in the United States. This is something that you should consider filing immediately when you start a website. The process is not instant, this can take anywhere from 2-18 months, which is highly dependent on whether you have legal help or do it yourself. However, most find the price very reasonable. Keep in mind that this is not a free process, you will need to pay the United States Copyright Office a small sum. Do you want to protect your logo and blog name with copyrights and trademarks? No matter how big or how small your site is, you can guard your brand and intellectual properties.
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