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Trademark Attorneys

Your company’s name and branding allow customers to recognize your goods or services. This branding is the heart of your marketing and enables you to build relationships with your audience, encouraging them to become loyal customers.

But have you ever thought about what would happen if someone stole your branding?

At True Lawyer, we offer the reliable, professional trademark attorney services you need to protect your branding and other intellectual property. Our thorough trademarking knowledge and 100% registration guarantee can take the burden of trademark registration off your shoulders, allowing you to get back to your billion-dollar business idea.

The best time to register a trademark for your company is as soon as you create your branding. However, the second-best time is now. Contact our True Lawyer team today at (312) 442-0057 to book your strategy session with our trademark attorneys in Chicago, IL.

What Is a Trademark?

A trademark is any word, symbol, phrase, or design that represents or identifies your business. Customers or clients can view this identifier to distinguish your brand from similar ones. Meanwhile, your company can use this identifier to give customers a visual representation of your goods and services.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, trademarks can provide the following benefits:

  • Identify the source of your company’s goods or services
  • Legally protect your brand
  • Guard your company against counterfeiting and fraud

You do not automatically have legal trademark protection when creating a brand logo. Instead, you need to register your trademark through the USPTO. The trademark process can be complicated and lengthy, which is why many people choose to hire a trademark attorney to assist them.

Additionally, there’s a difference between owning a trademark and having a registered trademark. As soon as you begin using a logo or symbol to represent your brand, you become a trademark owner. However, you do not have legal protections with that trademark until you register it with the USPTO.

Having a registered trademark for a phrase or logo does not mean you legally own that branding. Instead, it gives you protection against other businesses in a similar industry from using the same branding, providing your company a unique identifier that assists your market reputation.

When you register a trademark for your branding or other intellectual property, the U.S. government gives you the right to prevent other entities from using your trademarked property. As such, you can feel confident that your specific branding will only represent your own goods and services, preventing it from benefitting another company.

One popular example of a trademarked symbol is the McDonald’s logo. Other companies cannot utilize the golden arches symbol in their branding, as customers may associate their companies with McDonald’s when there is no actual tie between the organizations.

Chicago Trademark Attorneys Can Help

If you’re looking to receive legal protections for your company’s trademark, working with a knowledgeable attorney team can be highly beneficial. To start, if you are a foreign-domiciled trademark applicant, you must have a licensed attorney to represent you in the trademark application process.

However, even if you are domiciled in the U.S., hiring True Lawyer trademark attorneys is still an excellent idea. Here are a few of the many ways our True Lawyer team can assist your trademark registration:

Walk You Through the Trademark Process

Registering a trademark involves a lengthy and complex process. If you’ve never applied for trademark registration before, you may waste a significant amount of time navigating through the steps.

Additionally, you’ll need to pay for every trademark application you submit to the USPTO. If the organization does not approve your initial application, you’ll have to pay for the next one.

Instead, working with a qualified trademark attorney can help you navigate the trademark process and prevent you from wasting money on numerous applications. Additionally, our team can help you receive your trademark registration in less time, giving you the best chance of securing it before someone else.

Conduct a Trademark Search

Before registering a trademark with the USPTO, you need to ensure that another company has not already registered that trademark. For example, you couldn’t register the golden arches symbol for your restaurant in Bolingbrook, as McDonald’s has already registered this trademark.

However, because there are already thousands of trademarks registered in the U.S., reviewing all of these trademarks can be time-consuming. As a result, many companies hire law firms to conduct comprehensive trademark searches through specialized electronic databases.

At True Lawyer, we have access to all the tools necessary to conduct thorough trademark searches. We’ll identify any similar trademarks to yours, then walk you through the best process to secure your trademark.

File a Trademark On Your Behalf

If you’re a business owner in Chicago, you probably have a lot of responsibilities on your plate. You may simply not have time to figure out a trademark application and gather all of the information you need to register your trademark.

If you’d rather not spend any time applying for a trademark, you can rely on our attorney team to complete your application on your behalf. Our lawyers have ample experience helping companies like yours receive trademarks for their business branding. You can feel confident in our thorough processes to secure your trademark quickly and reliably.

Communicate With USPTO For You

When you submit a trademark application through the USPTO, the organization may contact you for additional information. Additionally, part of your trademark application process includes working with a USPTO-assigned examining attorney, who will review your application and issue you office action letters if your application is insufficient.

Having a lawyer on your side can make communicating with the USPTO and your examining attorney stress-free. When you work with our True Lawyer team, we’d be happy to handle all communications for you, allowing you to keep your focus on your business operations.

Represent You In Trademark Infringement Accusations

Trademark infringement is the unauthorized use of a registered trademark. Once you register your trademark with the USPTO, no similar brands can use that logo or branding for their own companies. If they do, they could violate your exclusive rights under trademark registration.

The best way to counter trademark infringement is to file a civil action in the state or federal court. However, hiring an attorney to assist you through this process can be beneficial. Your attorney can help you file the court order, represent you in court, communicate with the defendant on your behalf, and help you collect evidence.

Recommend Other Intellectual Property Protections

Trademarks are just one of several intellectual property protections the government offers. For example, patents and copyrights from our Chicago copyright attorneys can also give your business legal protection against the theft of your ideas.

When you work with our True Lawyer team, you can benefit from our widespread knowledge about governmental intellectual property protections. We can evaluate your company and recommend the necessary protections for your goods and services. We can then walk you through the steps to receive these protections from the USPTO.

Provide Legal Advice and Guidance

Even if you believe you have the trademark application process under control, we can provide legal advice and guidance to optimize your process. Receiving guidance from an attorney is always a good idea when dealing with an unfamiliar legal process.

If you’re searching for a trademark attorney, you’ll want to ensure that the lawyer you choose has the right experience, knowledge, and skillset to provide the best experience throughout your trademark process. As a result, you should plan to ask your prospective attorney a few valuable questions before working with them. You can count on our True Lawyer team to make your trademark experience seamless and stress-free. Feel free to ask our team the following questions to verify our skills and abilities.
  • What is your experience with trademark law?
  • Will you be the only attorney working on my trademark?
  • What is your trademark search process?
  • How will you communicate with me about my trademark case?
We’d be happy to answer these questions in person during your free strategy session.

The Trademark Process in Chicago, IL

If you’ve never filed a trademark before in Chicago, you may find the process confusing and arduous. Hiring our team can take the burden of navigating this complex process off your shoulders, putting it in the hands of a skilled, qualified law team who has successfully obtained trademarks for numerous companies.

When you hire our True Lawyer team, we can assist you with the following trademark steps:

1. Determine if a Trademark Is Right for You

Before you begin applying for a trademark registration, you should carefully consider whether a trademark is the right intellectual property protection for you. Our team can walk you through the different protections available from the USPTO and guide you toward the appropriate protections for your business.

2. Gather Relevant Information

Once you determine a trademark is suitable for your needs, you’ll need to gather a few pieces of information to submit with your application. This information includes:
  • The mark format (standard character mark, stylized mark, or sound mark)
  • The category of goods and services your mark will fall under
  • Your filing basis (commerce, foreign registration, intent-to-use, etc.)
You will also need to conduct a trademark search. The most effective way to search for similar trademarks is to enlist a qualified attorney to search their trademark databases.

3. Fill Out Your Application

Next, you’ll need to prepare your application. You can apply online through the USPTO website. At this time, you’ll also need to pay a non-refundable application fee.

4. Work With Your USPTO Examining Attorney

The USPTO will assign a trademark-examining attorney to your case to review your application and determine whether it complies with the USPTO’s rules for trademarks. If your examining attorney rejects your application, they will send you an official letter explaining the refusal. You will need to submit your response to this letter within six months.

5. Maintain Your Registration

Once the USPTO approves your application, it will publish your trademark in its weekly publication. You’ll then need to file maintenance documents to keep your registration active.

True Lawyer
73 W Monroe St Suite 100
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 442-0057

Our Trademark Guarantee

At True Lawyer, we want our clients to feel confident in our trademark attorney services. If the USPTO does not approve your first trademark application, we’ll file a new one for you for free. We’ll guide and support you through every step of obtaining your trademark, offering the advice and assistance you need to receive your intellectual property protection.

Contact our True Lawyer team today to schedule your strategy session with the trademark attorneys Chicago residents trust.

Frequently Asked Questions About Trademark
Registration

HOW DO I CHOOSE A TRADEMARK LAWYER?

Working with a skilled trademark attorney can ease your trademark registration process significantly. However, choosing the wrong trademark lawyer could make your registration even more of a headache. As a result, we recommend conducting thorough research to find the best attorney for your needs.

Here are a few tips to choose the right trademark lawyer:

  • Look for a lawyer with specific trademark licensing: A general lawyer cannot provide the specific guidance you need to file a trademark registration. Instead, you should look for a licensed “trademark attorney” or “trademarks lawyer.”
  • Choose a lawyer with a small caseload: Your trademark application will likely be a lengthy process, and you want your attorney to be available every step of the way. As a result, we recommend choosing a lawyer with a small caseload, allowing them to focus their attention on your case.
  • Select an attorney with proven success: You should always find out how many trademark registrations an attorney has obtained for clients. If an attorney has proven success, you can feel confident in their ability to help you receive your trademark as well.

Is a Trademark Attorney a Lawyer?

The terms “attorney” and “lawyer” are interchangeable in the field of trademark registration. Both trademark attorneys and trademark lawyers can provide legal advice, guidance, and assistance to streamline your trademark application.

Can a Trademark Be File Without an Attorney?

If you are domiciled in the U.S., you can file a trademark without an attorney. However, unless you have experience navigating intellectual property protections, you may struggle to obtain trademark registration on your own. Hiring an attorney can ease your process significantly and improve your chances of registering your desired trademark.