Trademarks Attorney
The trademark attorneys at Simms Showers LLP understand just how important your brand is to your company, and will take the necessary legal actions to protect your assets by either registering your trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or pursuing legal recourse against the party who has committed theft or fraud of your already registered trademark.
What is a Trademark?
A word, phrase, symbol, or design that is used to identify your goods and services is referred to as a trademark. Trademarks are some of the most recognizable phrases and symbols on the planet. Children under three can recognize, on average, over 100 brands, according to NPR. And a study in Australia found that children recognize trademarks, and therefore brands such as Disney and McDonalds, well before they can speak.
What a Trademark Accomplishes
Trademarks help distinguish your brand, or goods and services, from others. Trademarks also provide legal protection, and enable you to fight counterfeiting and fraud that damages your business. Trademarks do not, however, stop others from using your logo or slogan in other industries that are unrelated to your own. For example, a car company with a particular trademarked phrase might not legally be able to stop a sewing machine company from using the same trademark. However, a large bike manufacturer could successfully sue a small bike shop that uses the same trademark, even though one company is a manufacturer and the other is a retail distributor.
Why Do I Need an Attorney?
U.S. trademark applicants do not technically need an attorney to represent them in the US Patent and Trademark Office. However, even the US Patent and Trademark Office suggests that you work with an attorney during the trademark process: “we strongly encourage you to hire a U.S.-licensed attorney who specializes in trademark law to guide you through the registration process.” You need an attorney for many reasons, including the process of conducting clearance searches to ensure that your logo or phrase has not already been trademarked, enforcing your trademark rights, choosing the appropriate filing basis, representation at an appeal board, and much more.
Services Our Trademark Attorneys Provide
The most important thing your attorney can do for you in the beginning is to offer sound legal advice, such as ensuring that your trademark can be legally protected, preparing and filing documents, teaching you the scope of your trademark rights, communicating with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and more. Our attorneys provide assistance in the following ways
- Clearance Searches;
- Search and Registration;
- Application Preparation;
- Trademark Enforcement;
- Change of Ownership;
- Trademark Assignments;
- Renewal Filings;
- Statement of Use Filings;
- Monitoring;
- Portfolio Management;
- Office Action Responses;
- Online Infringement;
- Trademark Litigation; and
- More.
A Trademark Attorney Can Help You Today
Whether you are a small business owner hoping to create brand awareness, or a large corporation in need of an experienced litigator to handle an infringing competitor that has stolen your trademark, the trademark attorneys at Simms Showers LLP can provide the legal services you are looking for. Call us today for a free consultation.
