If you are considering whether or not to trademark a logo you should contact a trademark attorney.  While obtaining a trademark on a logo is certainly helpful, you could be setting yourself up for a large trademark problem in the future.

The reason potential danger is afoot when you trademark a logo is that many individuals are under the impression that they can trademark a logo and trademark a name in the same trademark application.  For example, if your logo and name are one in the same, many individuals suspect they only have to make one trademark filing.  The problem with only making one filing is that if your logo were to ever change (i.e. you went through a re-branding in the future) you could actually lose the trademark rights in your name as well.

The reason for this is that trademarks have a use requirement.  If you do not use a trademark someone else can petition the trademark office to have your trademark canceled.  This means that if you “re-brand” and ever discontinue the exact use of the logo that you filed as a trademark, the entire trademark could be canceled.  Therefore, the name that was a part of the trademark filing would also be canceled, which would open the door for someone else to register the same or similar name as a trademark.

The best advise when it comes to obtaining a trademark on a logo is to file two trademark applications.  File one application to trademark your logo and a second application to trademark your name.  This will ensure that your trademark name is always protected even if your logo changes in the future.

For more information on how to trademark a logo, click on the link below.

Tags: register a trademark, registering trademarks, trademark a logo, trademark a name, trademark application, trademark registration, trademark registration process