Register Logo Document For Free

Generally, you trademark an image by applying to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and getting your application approved for registration. Trademarking with the USPTO is a legal process that usually takes about 12 months. So, the sooner you start trademarking your image the better.

From: Canadian Intellectual Property Office Logos, brand names, inventions, designs, and customer data can all be valuable business assets. These assets can be protected through intellectual property (IP) rights known as patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyrights and trade secrets.

Although you can apply for trademark protection for your name and logo concurrently, each is considered a separate mark. As such, each mark (i.e. your standard character mark and your design mark) requires its own application.

You almost never ?must? register a trademark. It is good business practice to protect yourself (from claims of infringement by others and infringement of your rights by others) by obtaining registration of your brand, and it helps to build value in your business. Often your trademark becomes your most valuable asset.

Is a logo subject to copyright? Yes. A logo that includes artistic or design elements, (i.e. not just the name on its own), is legally regarded as being a work of artistic creation and therefore will be protected under copyright law. Copyright protects the logo as an artistic work.

In the U.S., you don't need to register a trademark or copyright your company's logo. Once you put down the original work on paper or digital media and use it to market your business, you automatically own the rights. However, registering a trademark affords you an extra layer of protection.

And as mentioned before, the copyright symbol is generally not necessary. But the function of the symbol remains the same?to give notice that the identified work is protected by copyright.