Guest post by Deborah Sweeney the CEO of MyCorporation.com.
McDonalds wouldn’t be McDonalds without the golden arches, and Coca-Cola wouldn’t be the soda we all know and love without that signature curly-Q cursive. Before these big names built their ubiquitous brands, they started with an iconic logo. Thanks to a simple trademark filing, no other business can steal Ronald McDonald’s thunder by utilizing those golden arches.
As an entrepreneur you have a vested interest in protecting your business IP so don’t think a trademark matters much to small businesses or that it’s more for the big dogs. Here are three reasons that filing a trademark is a good idea for every small business.
1. Building Your Brand Is Important.
Look at the magnitude of the McDonalds and Coca-cola brands. When you think McDonalds, you think of children laughing, playing, sharing on a playground. When you think of Coca-Cola you think of the words “All American” through a vintage lens. Both these concepts associated with the two companies correlate strongly with the look of the companies’ logos.
A Logo Trademark Will Protect Your Business.
When you decide on the logo for your small business, you are dictating the emotion and vibe that will be associated with your business throughout its entire life. The first step to creating a killer brand is a killer logo.
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2. Keep Your Logo Personal To You.
When you file a trademark application and register your logo with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, you are ensuring that your logo can only be used by you.
Imagine creating a great logo for your business. You’ve been in business for about a year, and the community is really starting to get to know and love your business, largely thanks to the use of your logo. Then a new small business pops up in the same industry, who happened to create a very similar logo. If your logo is not protected, not only will your customers be confused, but if that company were to ever receive any bad press, it could easily be mistaken for yours. Avoid all of this from the beginning, and trademark your logo!
3. It's Easy To Do.
Many businesses choose a filing service to file the
trademark registration application for them. These services often provide: preparation of the paperwork, verification that your trademark is indeed unique, and completion of every necessary transaction with the USPTO. MyCorporation offers this service because we know business owners have bigger things to take care of, like getting their new businesses up and running!
Which tip did you find most helpful? Got more ideas? Let us know in the comments below. If you're interested in more information about trademarking logos or other design assets, here is another post about how to legally protect your company's logo design.
About MyCorporation:
MyCorporation is a leader in online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing start-up bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent, DBA, and trademark & copyright filing services for businesses operating in the USA. Get in touch via Twitter @mycorporation or Google+.
Written by Jo Sabin on Thursday, September 11, 2014
Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.
