Is a Trademark really what I need?

Types of Intellectual Property

The first step is to determine what type of intellectual property protection you need. There are three types of intellectual property: trademarks, patents and copyrights. The Trademark Office of the USPTO handles trademarks only. For information on patents, please visit Patents or contact 800-786-9199. For information on copyrights, please contact the Copyright Office (a division of the Library of Congress).

Basic Information and Rules of the Road

Ok, so now you have determined that a trademark is what you need. Your second step should be to familiarize yourself with the general rules and requirements for applying for a trademark registration. To do so, go to Basic Facts About Trademarks booklet and the Frequently Asked Questions. You can look up legal terms as well as other terms relating to trademarks in our Glossary.

Trademark Search AFTER SEARCHING THE USPTO DATABASE, EVEN IF YOU THINK THE RESULTS ARE "O.K.," DO NOT ASSUME THAT YOUR MARK CAN BE REGISTERED AT THE USPTO. AFTER YOU FILE AN APPLICATION, THE USPTO MUST DO ITS OWN SEARCH AND OTHER REVIEW, AND MIGHT REFUSE TO REGISTER YOUR MARK.

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