We are trying to start a clothing line... where do I start?!?

Question

This will start off as a basic clothing line to establish a name brand. How do we start a trademark and what legal/ red tape do we need to go trough? The web domain is open so that is good so we can set that up once we get the name trademark approved. Any help?

Answer 1

To register a trademark, that's done either 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 (OR are planning to conduct) business in at least 2 states OR between the US & any other country, you can file for a Federal trademark.

Prior to investing your time, money & effort into a name, it is strongly advised that comprehensive research be conducted to ensure that the name you're interested in is truly available.

This entails searching the pending & registered Federal and State trademark files as well as the US National Common-Law files. Then, if clear, you can decide if you would like to file for a Federal or a State trademark.

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

Answer 2

First off you should do your market research on the clothing line. If the research shows that you will have a successful line then you should consider coming up with a few options for the name and either do a focus group or you can ask a Yahoo question to pick the one that is most likely to succeed.

Then you you should go to http://www.uspto.gov/ and download the trademark application to file for a trademark.

Once you have that then you can move forward with your marketing efforts by designing your trademark logo, your website, and you should consider taking a few courses in marketing and take a professional sales course. If you will be starting to sell wholesale immediately, then you should look into distribution channels through major retail outlets like, WalMart, target, etc. You may want to consider hiring a Marketing and PR agency to handle much of the details.

If you are going to just retail or through the web you want to hire a design firm to design your website for maximum exposure. You have to realize that you won't be able to do everything yourself and yo'll have to hire some people to help you.

Answer 3

Three Steps to Filing a Trademark

1st: Trademark Search
Before you file a trademark application, find out if your name is available or if it may infringe on another name by using our comprehensive trademark search services. [Step 1: Trademark Search]

2nd: Trademark Application Process
If our search finds no conflicts, have our experienced attorneys prepare your federal trademark or servicemark application. Our attorneys will then respond to trademark office objections and get your application successfully through the process. [Step 2: File a Trademark]

3rd: Monitor and Protect Your Valuable Trademark
Once your registered mark is issued, our patented software will track renewal information and monitor the national trademark database for conflicts and infringers. [Step 3: Trademark Monitoring]

Answer 4

You may join my small business group for free.