What:

- a word, symbol, design, combination word/design/symbol, or slogan.

- they are/become your brand name and/or product or service identity to distinguish your goods and services from those of another

- they are/become important and valuable property rights and, like real estate property, are transferable and the transfers are recordable in the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).

Federal Filing Process:

- Federal Trademark Registration affords the most protection. If a Mark is Federally registered, the 'circle-R' symbol is used with the Mark.

- Search first. All word or combination Marks should be searched to see if another party has already Federally registered the Mark or filed for Federal registration. Average search costs done by APT generally range between $100-$125.

- Register by Class. There are 45 Classes. You would seek registration in one or more classes in which your products or services apply.

- Filing Cost payable to the PTO currently are $325 to $375 for each class.

- Attorney fee at APT for a single-class express filing normally ranges between $425 (for an intent-to-use [ITU] application) to $545 (for a Use-type application); add $50 for each additional class of the same application. These are flat fees, with no hidden costs, and apply in nearly all cases.

- Express filing is strongly recommended to obtain your priority date and to ensure against a lost application. 

- This gets an application filed. Not all get approved. There may be some post-filing requirements, and if approved by the PTO, some post-approval requirements, and if registered, there will be some post-registration requirements; each with some additional costs. When you retain a lawyer to process an application for you, these potentialities, and cost ranges, should be explained ahead of time so that you may make an informed decision on whether or not to file. Each filing is different and many do go through with no further requirements or costs until the post-registration requirements arise.

Link to the Trademark section of the PTO.

Send an e-mail to APT