How do i got about trademarking or patenting a name on the cheap?

Question

I have a great name and slogan for a fashion label that i would like to set up. However i don't know how to go about patenting or trademarking the name so as to stop people from potentially stealing it. Does it cost a lot to patent or trademark, or are there any cost-effective ways of doing it?

Answer 1

Do a "Poor Man's Patent". Send the name and slogan to yourself via US Mail. When it arrives, don't open it. You'll have your idea sealed in an envelope with a USPS post mark and date on it. Many people do this to patent ideas.

Answer 2

To protect a business name within your industry, you would apply for a trademark.

Trademarks can be names of products or services, logos, slogans, packaging and even sounds and smells. In essence, a trademark can be almost anything that is used to identify a particular product or service. Registering a trademark grants the owner exclusive rights to the mark within the specified industry.

Of course, it's necessary to research the mark comprehensively prior to filing to ensure that there is no possibility of infringing upon another party.

I listed some links where you can do some preliminary name checking. However, please be aware that this is merely scratching the surface of what's out there. Only comprehensive research will tell you if the name is truly available. But, these links are free & a great place to start, so I'd try them out first.

There are other sites that offer free searching capabilities in conjunction with their commercial services, so I'm not able to post those links due to the Yahoo! TOS. You'll also want to check domain names & yellow pages, so simply do a search for "free domain name search" and "national yellowpages" and the appropriate links will pop up.

To register a trademark, it would either be through your Secretary of State for a State trademark or the US Patent & Trademark Office for a Federal trademark.

If you are only conducting business in one state, then a State trademark is most appropriate. If you conduct business in at least 2 states OR between the US & any other country, you can file for a Federal trademark.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

The U.S. Patent Office has all the info you need for trademarks and copyrights. They are on the web. Look it up!