Practical articles on searching, filing, watching and defending a trademark, written for people who make naming decisions.
9 min read
Brand Registry starts with a trademark that matches the brand on your products. This guide explains the trademark requirements in plain language, which Nice classes and territories sellers usually nee...
9 min read
A word mark protects your name in any style. A logo trademark protects one design. For most businesses the word mark comes first, but descriptive names and symbol-led brands are real exceptions. This...
9 min read
A registration proves what you own, but it does not tell you when someone files something similar. Trademark monitoring does. This guide explains which registers and classes a watch should cover, how...
10 min read
When someone files a mark close to yours, the cheapest moment to act is during the opposition window, which is short at every major office. This guide covers the first 48 hours, the opposition periods...
10 min read
A basic trademark search tells you whether a name is obviously taken. A clearance search tells you whether it is actually safe to use and register. This guide compares what each one covers, where each...
7 min read
Registration can take a few months or several years, depending on the office and whether anything goes wrong. This guide gives typical 2026 ranges for six major offices and their opposition periods. I...
Why Trademarks Get Rejected
7 min read
Most trademark refusals come from a handful of predictable grounds. These include confusion with earlier marks, descriptive or generic names, surnames, geographic and deceptive terms, weak specimens a...
7 min read
A US intent to use application lets you claim a brand name before launch and secure an early filing date. This guide covers the notice of allowance, the statement of use, extensions in six month steps...
8 min read
Owning a domain does not give you trademark rights in the name. A domain can be registered as a trademark only when it is distinctive and used to identify the source of goods or services. Learn how of...
TM vs Registered Trademark Symbol
6 min read
TM and the registered symbol look alike but mean different things. TM claims a mark as yours at any stage, while the registered symbol may only be used once a mark is registered in the country where y...
7 min read
An office action does not mean your trademark is lost. This guide explains non-final and final USPTO office actions, the three month deadline and the paid extension. It covers how applicants handle li...
7 min read
The filing fee is only one part of what a trademark costs. This guide covers professional fees, office action responses, proof of use, oppositions, translations, monitoring and renewals over the life...
8 min read
Choosing trademark classes decides what your registration protects and what you pay. This guide explains the Nice Classification, goods versus services and common combinations such as 9 and 42 for sof...