Category Archives: Trademarks

Five Steps for Protecting Your Trademarks

Take these steps to get full value from your trademarks! It surprises me that many companies don’t register their trademarks. It’s one of, if not the most valuable asset you have. Like any valuable asset, it should be handled with care, well maintained and thoroughly protected. Today we will talk about how to protect this […]

Trademark Scam Alert

by Intellectual Property Attorney Bill Honaker, the IP Guy Recently I’ve been receiving calls from clients in a panic.  “I just got a call from an examiner at the USPTO.  He said our trademark is expiring and he needed a credit card for the renewal. Is this legit?” The short answer is NO! It’s a […]

Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s Taco Tuesday Fight

By Bill Honaker, The IP Guy Taco Bell is trying to cancel the trademark registration for the phrase, “Taco Tuesday.” A competitor, Taco John’s, registered “Taco Tuesday” as a trademark with the United States Trademark Office on December 19, 1989.  Cision PR reported that Taco Bell’s Chief Marketing Officer, Taylor Montgomery stated: “Our passion for […]

The Ohio State University Sign
“THE” Trademark is Now Owned by Ohio State

Originally Posted July 19, 2021 Updated December 22, 2022 Ohio State University recently registered the word “THE” as its trademark.  Ohio State has registered the word “the” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Everyone I have talked to about this has the same reaction. Can you register a common word? Of course, you […]

Searching
How to Do a Trademark Search

The most important step to strong trademark protection Your trademark is likely your most valuable Intellectual Property Asset. If you chose a strong trademark, it will grow in value as your business reputation grows. A trademark is actually a form of protection for your business reputation. It’s what consumers use to identify you. It is […]

Matoon, IL Burger King
How Do I Trademark a Name?

Originally Posted December 21, 2021 Updated December 8, 2022   Your trademark may be your most valuable asset and should be protected. The best way to protect your mark is to register it. You can register a mark with the United States Trademark Office, state trademark offices, and in other countries. The best approach depends […]

Trademarks stamp
Trademarks

Trademarks identify goods or services coming from a single source and can include business or product names, logos or slogans. Some examples of trademarks are the name Nike, the Coca-Cola bottle shape and the sound of the light saber from “Star Wars.” In the United States, common law trademark protection is limited to the geographic area […]

Trademark vs Copyright
Trademark vs. Copyright

Which Do I Choose? They’re both valuable to business Trademarks Trademarks protect the reputation of a business. They also identify the source of goods for consumers. Intellectual property law can be confusing. The USPTO website defines a trademark as “a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of […]