Hooray! You successfully register a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and wonder if this particular job is complete. Filing seemed a lengthy and involved process and it is logical to want to take good care of this important landmark for your business, so you can reap all the benefits.
Registering a trademark is just the beginning. These are four things you should do as soon as you get your certificate of registration from USPTO:
Remember your trademark registration date. The USPTO requires renewals to verify the trademark is still in use. First renewal will come 5 years after the initial registration. After the second renewal, the period is extended to 10 years.
So write down in a calendar when you need to take action again, since USTPO will not remind you of renewal times.
Use your trademark. This looks an oxymoron but is not. Trademarks are only valid if they are used. Do not let others take advantage of your intellectual property just because you are not fully using your trademark.
Use the appropriate symbols. When a trademark registration is granted, you can begin to use the circled “R” to let the general public know that your registration has been done and is considered a proper use of your mark by USPTO. If you are in the process of getting a trademark register you may want to use the TM symbol instead.
Use these intellectual property signs in the following:
- Product packaging or labeling
- Marketing and advertising art and copy
- Your website and social media outlets.
Monitor the environment. Trademark rights begin accruing based on use, not registration. You must remain vigilant that nobody uses your trademark OR a similar trademark that may confuse your clients.
Count on Legal Business Global and on Attorney Marcos E. Garciaacosta for support in your post-trademark registration stage. We are always ready to help you and answer your questions. Find us in social media @legalbizglobal and @iplawmarcos.