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So You Want to Protect Your Trademark?

Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset
Trademarks are often the most valuable asset of a company. They are what consumers use to associate your product with your company. Trademarks embody the goodwill of your company. Everyone talks about what makes a good trademark, but what makes a bad trademark? Knowing what makes a bad trademark can be just as important as what makes a good trademark. You do not want to pin the goodwill of your company on a bad trademark.

Good vs. Bad Trademarks
What makes a good or bad trademark to a trademark lawyer is quite different than what makes a good or bad trademark to a marketing consultant. Trademarks do not exist in a vacuum. Trademarks only exist in their association with a particular good or service. Merely descriptive terms like “Yellow Delicious” for bananas, or generic terms like “Bananas” are not registrable trademarks for bananas. Basically, any terms your competition would normally use in its identification or description of the product or service is something you are not allowed to take out of the public domain and slap a trademark on. “Yellow Delicious” or “Bananas” may be a perfectly registrable trademark for a record company, just not for bananas themselves.

Forbidden Trademarks
Other types of “bad” trademarks, that are not allowed to be federally registered, include immoral, deceptive or scandalous trademarks. What constitutes an immoral or scandalous trademark today, is quite a bit different than what might have been considered immoral or scandalous in the 1950’s. Trademarks depicting a name, portrait, or signature of a living person who has not given their consent to the trademark are also not available for federal registration. You also cannot register the name, portrait, or signature of a deceased united States President without the written consent of his widow. You cannot register trademarks that disparage or falsely suggest a connection with persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt, or disrepute. Trademarks that include a true representation of the flag of the United States, any state, municipality or foreign nation, or is a simulation thereof, are also out. You can get a flagpole and a flag to proudly display it in your front yard from this recommended website.

Test the Waters
Before you invest thousands of dollars behind a marketing campaign for your new trademark, contact a trademark attorney to make sure you are not running afoul of any obvious trademark no-nos. While no trademark attorney is going to thoroughly vet your trademark against all existing registrations for free, you might be able to find a trademark attorney who will give you a little free advice over the phone regarding whether your trademark runs afoul of any obvious prohibitions. You might even find one willing to run a free trademark search through the Patent and Trademark Office while you are on the phone to see if anyone has already registered your proposed trademark.For more information on trademarks, check out our FAQ.

Brett Trout

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