We hear the word “trademark” thrown around a lot, but what exactly is it?

Put simply, trademarks are words, logos, or designs that help consumers identify the source of a product or service.  

So, what does that actually mean?

Well...what do you think of when you see the Golden Arches on the highway?

You think of McDonald’s, right?

Well, that “M” is actually a trademark!

That “M” helps you identify McDonald’s as a source of restaurant services, hamburgers, and French fries.

A registered trademark helps to protect you from other companies infringing on your brand by using similar words or logos that might confuse consumers as to the source of your goods and services.

It also represents the bulk of the value of a company’s intangible assets.  And, with McDonald’s brand value measured at 155 billion dollars, you can see the importance of protecting your brand through trademarks.

Let’s say another burger restaurant store NOT affiliated with McDonald’s starts using a highly similar large yellow M.

You can see why consumers might get confused into thinking they are entering an actual McDonald’s, and will be disappointed when they soon learn that they were duped.

Registering trademarks helps to prevent this confusion so that consumers will only associate your trademarks with YOUR products and services.

Or, let’s say you’re a barber with a certain logo on your store. You’ve developed a great reputation as a high-quality barber for decades in your town. Then, you find out another person has opened a barbershop nearby and is advertising that same logo. Customers start confusing that bad business with your business. They even start writing negative online reviews about YOUR company online as a result. That’s not fair for you OR your customers.

You can avoid these scenarios by filing for a federal trademark. Registering your trademark not only adds value to your brand, but it helps prevent competitors from using your trademark, and de-valuing your brand.

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