When you establish a new brand, there is a level of risk involved. Any time your business undergoes a transformation, getting clearance for your brand gives you clarity when it comes to the risks of using the brand. Once you decide on a brand, it’s essential to do a trademark clearance search to ensure that the brand is available and usable.

At Initiating Protection, we understand how important having a strong, secure brand identity is to your business. We complete the clearance search for you and confirm your brand is protected. In addition, we create strategies that reduce the chances that your current brand will infringe the rights of a third party.

What Makes An Effective Trademark Search?

Before creating a unique device for your brand, it’s key to search to determine if it’s available and protected. By conducting a search for existing trademarks, you are able to prevent the consequences that come from potential lawsuits.

Searching for a trademark itself can take place in multiple ways. The United States Patent and Trademark Office features a searchable database. This allows users to search for registered brands, words, and images. Even with that, it can be challenging to search for every potential trademark similar to yours. There are other options available, such as reviewing newspaper listings, domain names, and even phone information. It’s also important to check different variations of your brand name and image, which can help check for minor discrepancies such as spelling errors.

Benefits of Clearance Searches

As you build your company, you want to have a trademark that people will recognize. Completing a trademark search ensures that your band mark is genuine. There are a number of benefits that clearance searches can provide. For starters, it verifies that you have a unique trademark that distinctively represents your company. In addition, it allows you to confirm the mark you design is not shared with another entity.

A clearance search also ensures you’re not seen as a willful infringer of another company’s rights. The use of a trademark does not require clearance, but performing one reduces the likelihood that you are using an element owned by another company. Finally, by completing a trademark search, you are able to determine potential issues in specific locations. This allows you the opportunity to avoid infringement by restricting the accessibility of your brand to only target specific areas.

Call Us for Trademark Clearance Services

A trademark clearance search is an integral part of setting up your business. Initiating Protection can perform these checks and ensure that your brand is yours alone. Call or email us today to learn more about our solutions and how we can help you.

One of the biggest steps for a brand owner when creating a business identity is acquiring registered rights for its brands. Many services give companies the ability to file their own applications for registration. This is known as trademark prosecution. However, this isn’t a task for people unfamiliar with the process. It is possible to complete this process yourself. However, completing the forms incorrectly can lead to a reduction in your brand’s rights, among other things. In addition, responding to refusals from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) improperly could prevent your registration altogether.

At Initiating Protection, we specialize in creating strategies that help you register your rights as fully as possible. We have the systems to accurately monitor your application during each step of the process. Plus, if you need registrations for foreign jurisdictions, we have the knowledge and connections to help.

How the Process Works

Filing an application is step one. You start by setting up an account through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This allows you to complete the application online. The application itself begins by requesting basic information. Then you must include detailed information about your brand. This includes the goods and services offered under the brand, and evidence of use that meets a fairly precise standard.

The government will review the application to ensure it meets the rigorous criteria found in the Trademark Manual of Examination Procedure. The USPTO will likely send you an Office Action which raises issues that must be addressed within 6 months. The could raise serious issues or informal issues; knowing the difference and how to respond is often the difference between moving forward with or being denied registration.

Your application will move forward to publication once you complete the government review. During this phase third parties could oppose your application, forcing you to defend your rights yet again.

Your brand is ready for registration after it clears all of these hurdles. With so many stops along the way, and so many levels of scrutiny, hiring competent counsel is critical.

What We Do to Help

Initiating Protection can help make the process of registering for a trademark easier for local and international companies, and everything in between. We explain the factors that play into approval and refusal and detail how to protect the brand you worked hard to create. We work with you during every step of the trademark registration process. This includes preparing an application that comports with a brand strategy, filing responses for office actions, and responding to any third-party oppositions. Initiating Protection starts helping you before the registration process by searching for potential risks, and can assist you after the registration is issued by engaging in policing and enforcement. No matter what size business your business is, our office provides the support you need to attain your brand.

Call Us for Trademark Prosecution

When you need assistance at any point, Initiating Protection is ready to help you understand the process and protect your brand. Call or email us today to learn more about trademark prosecution and what we offer.