Your trademarks are the muscular monsters defending your brand. They protect the name, logo, slogan, packaging, and more that tell the customer: “This quality comes from us.”

Think about the value locked up in a band name, like AC/DC, and their famous logo. Those trademarks convey decades of rock and roll and instantly tell you what to expect.

Your boutique name, your marketing company name, your food truck logo. Trademark law prevents copycats from using something confusingly similar to trick fans and consumers.

The biggest trademark mistake comes right at the beginning, and it’s not clearing your name before you start using it. If you don’t check, and I mean THOROUGHLY check to see if anyone else is using the same name or a similar one for the same thing you are, or something related to it, that’s like swimming in the Black Lagoon and having no idea there’s a creature lurking in there ready to take you down. Being rightfully accused of trademark infringement is a horror story you want to avoid.

Some trademark rights are instant, just like some copyright rights are, and just like those copyright rights, it’s a bad idea to rely only on those instant rights. The advice is the same: REGISTER!

Registration is the key to protecting your trademarks and the key to making money by selling or licensing the trademark