Trademarks FAQs
Straight answers on working with us, litigation, trademarks, patents, copyright, business formation, and more. Search, filter by topic, or ask your own question below.
Five, roughly. First, a clearance search to gauge availability and risk. Second, preparing and filing the USPTO application with the right goods and services and filing basis. Third, examination by a USPTO examining attorney, who may push back with an Office Action. Fourth, publication, during which others can oppose. Fifth, registration—or, for intent-to-use marks, a Statement of Use once you're actually selling under the mark. Plan on many months, most of it USPTO queue time you can't speed up.
Trademarks
Because a search surfaces the conflicting marks that can sink your application—or invite an infringement claim—before you've spent a dollar on filing or a year building goodwill. Skipping it is how a brand ends up forced into a rebrand after launch. Think of clearance as cheap insurance against an expensive, very public do-over.
Trademarks
With no refusals or oppositions, figure roughly a year—though USPTO backlogs move that number around. Office Actions, extensions, or an intent-to-use basis (where you have to show real use later) all add time. We track every deadline and tell you where your application stands at each stage, so the wait is at least a predictable one.
Trademarks
Anyone can use ™ to stake a claim to a mark, registered or not. The ® symbol is different: you may only use it once the mark is federally registered with the USPTO, and using it before then is improper and can even hurt you in litigation. Registration is what unlocks ®—along with a legal presumption that your mark is valid and yours nationwide.
Trademarks