Identifying all of your company’s assets isn’t always easy. After all, many key assets don’t appear on a balance sheet. Trademarks and copyrights are intangible assets that add significant value to a business, and, like all of your other assets, must be properly protected.
Similar to patents, trademarks and copyrights fall under the intellectual property category. A copyright imbues its creator with the rights to a work, such as an art piece, musical composition, video, computer program, technical sketch or advertising campaign. A trademark protects a product’s features and can be used alongside a product description in an advertising campaign.
Trademarks can additionally be used to protect the defining elements of a brand, which can include slogans, taglines, domain names, product names, websites design and other elements that have been specially developed for a company. The trademark symbol (™) is a mark that can be utilized even if an entity doesn’t possess official registration, while the registered trademark symbol (®) is only legally available for those possessing a registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The TM sign is easy to use with an unregistered trademark, though various complications can arise by doing so. The TM sign gives a user common law rights to a trademark, but anyone interested in actual registration must observe the potential common law rights of someone else. The first part of the process is understanding that these rights exist. A process of discovery will need to undertaken, which can be both time-consuming and costly.
As your company moves forward with public relations and marketing efforts, developing various brand elements becomes necessary. A brand-appropriate logo and trademark are two essentials.
The SmallCapRelations team has helped various companies develop unique and memorable brand identities, and our experts can guide you across the complex trademark and copyright landscape. Intellectual property issues can be extremely difficult to handle, which is why professional assistance is so necessary. Once you have successfully completed the trademarking process, all of your creative assets will be covered by legal protection.
If you are looking to develop a specific mark as your trademark, SmallCapRelations can help you create the logo and product designs best suited for your brand identity. Get in touch with our professionals today.
