A trademark is a very valuable legal tool that can be used to protect intellectual property. But this doesn’t mean that everything can be trademarked. It applies to a specific type of property.
Essentially, something can potentially be trademarked if it identifies your products. This helps prevent fraud or counterfeit items. It gives your brand the legal protection that you need. These identifying marks cannot be used by other companies because they would be attempting to manipulate consumers.
What types of marks are included?
There are many different types of brand identity marks that can be trademarked, such as:
- Specific words
- Identifying phrases
- Unique symbols
- Specific designs – such as a logo
It could also be a combination of some of these things together. For instance, a company may have a slogan that is two or three words long, which they use in all their branding efforts. It’s written in a specific font and a certain color, and the slogan is always written beneath their logo. This could be trademarked because, when consumers see it, they will know what company made that product. They will make assumptions about the quality of the product, the price, the intended use and other such attributes.
Unfortunately, trademarks are sometimes violated by other companies that are looking to cause consumer confusion. They may be creating counterfeit products that only sell because they look like the real thing.
If your company has been victimized by this type of intellectual property theft or other violations of your protected brand information, be sure you know exactly what legal steps you can take. This is a complex part of the law and you must have proper representation, so call our firm today to set up a consultation!
