How Trademarks can Benefit Your Business

By: Salma Benkabbou, Esq.

The Millennial Business Lawyer®

With the number of companies in the market competing for your business, branding is increasingly important today. In this regard, trademarks can benefit business and be an important tool for a business owner, provided it is used properly. As an experienced trademark lawyer in Tampa, we want businesses to be aware of the benefits a trademark can offer. And provide your business the necessary steps to protect it.

How Trademarks can benefit business?

To summarize, a trademark will generally consist of a word, phrase, image, or symbol that is immediately identified as being associated with a company. Think of the Nike swoosh or the Apple logo on smartphones. Whether they realize it or not, consumers encounter numerous trademarks throughout the course of a typical day and they influence brand loyalty and purchasing decisions.  According to Entrepreneur, some of the main reasons why a trademark is important for your business include:

  • Trademarks make for more effective communications tool. Trademarks convey technical and emotional attributes about a company and its products, allowing businesses to communicate their message to a broader audience by bridging language barriers.
  • A Trademark can distinguish your company from others. A trademark is your brand. It allows consumers and clients to immediately identify your business among competitors and encourages brand loyalty.
  • Trademarks make it easier to attract and hire valuable employees. By providing your business with a clearly identifiable brand and building its market reputation, trademarks allow companies to attract the top talent in their respective fields.
  • Trademarks boost a businesses marketing efforts. Trademarks convey a lot in just a small amount of space. They lend themselves well to product placement and sponsorship’s, making marketing and advertising easier, and are particularly useful in the media.

Why your business needs a Registered Trademark

In comparison to a Copyright, which protects art or literary works, or a Patent, which protects an invention. Registered Trademarks protect company brand names and logos.

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), trademark rights come with actual use, provided the brand name or logo does not too closely resemble that which another company or product currently uses.

The rights for a company to use a trademark never expire, provided the company continues to use it on a regular basis. This is true regardless of whether a company has filed to have it registered. There are numerous advantages to registering a company trademark. These include:

  • Provides a legal presumption of ownership and the rights to exclusivity.
  • Affords federal protections, including the right to file a federal lawsuit.
  • Recognized by foreign countries and U.S. Customs and Border officials, it can decrease the likelihood of fraud in imported goods.

When a trademark is not registered, the letters ‘TM’ will appear after a company logo. Only a registered trademark will have the ® symbol attached to it.

Consult with a Tampa Trademark Lawyer

Get the trusted legal guidance your business needs to protect its brand and reach out to the Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC. Contact our Tampa trademark lawyer and request a consultation at our office today.