Protect Your Trademark--Or Lose It
Trademarks are a wonderful tool that can protect a logo. Owning
a trademark gives businesses the right to take legal action if
they feel like someone else is piggybacking on their design.
Nearly every company invests in a trademark to protect its logo
and products. The automotive industry, for example, trademarks
certain design aspects of their vehicles to prevent other
companies from copying them. BMW's classic split grill and GMC's
honeycomb grill are prime examples. Of course their logos are
trademarked as well.
However, if BMW didn't sue for infringement when another company
copies their blue and white circle logo, BMW would lose their
Trademark on the logo. Though many people are not aware of it,
owning a Trademark does not provide limitless protection. The
law states that if a company does not actively protect their
Trademark, they will lose it.
This means that if other companies are using your logo, or
something very close to it, you must actively protect it. First,
you need to be aware of any Trademark infringement, and second,
you must warn or take legal action against violators of your
Trademark.
Protecting a Trademark for a logo is important because people
associate your brand and your company with your logo. If you
lose your Trademark, you may have to change your logo
completely, which could be disastrous.
Luckily, there are companies that offer Trademark monitoring
services. Legalzoom.com, for example, will monitor a Trademark
for infringement every month for a $175 annual fee, or weekly
for $325. If time and resources are limited, it's worth every
penny.
About the author:
Jonathan Munk writes articles for major Logo Design companies
such as BusinessLogos.com. Visit BusinessLogos.com for news,
articles, tips and information about Logos.
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