Would you like the trademark and copyright of your blog name and logo? Trademarks and copyrights protect your brand and your business against many legal challenges. This includes illegal use of your copyrighted material or your brand name and logo. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to brand and protect your blog name and logo to protect your business.
Why should you add copyright to your logo?
Trademark registration is not required for create a website business in the United States. If you are running a small personal blog or a professional website and you have no intention of developing it further, your designs are already copyrighted.
On the other hand, if you do business in multiple states and plan to expand further, it becomes very important to register your trademark and copyright.
Registering your trademark and copyright allows you to prevent others from using the same or similar business name. You can get the exclusive right to use your trademark for business.
It also makes you responsible for the enforcement of the mark. This means that if you find someone who is violating your rights, you should send them a cease and desist letter and take other legal action if necessary.
What is the difference between a registered trademark and copyright?
Copyright and trademark both protect your intellectual property rights, which is why people often confuse the two terms.
What is a copyright?
Copyright applies to creative works, including written words, text, images, illustrations and more. As soon as a work is materialized, it is protected by copyright laws.
Put simply, all of the original content on your website is protected by copyright laws without you having to do anything else.
What is a registered trademark?
On the other hand, trademarks are word marks, trade names, symbols, sounds or colors that distinguish products and services from those made or sold by others and indicate the provenance of the products.
Simply put, this can be your company name, logo, brand mascot, or product name. However, you cannot register your own name as a personal trademark unless it is truly unique and widely recognized like Marks & Spencer, Johnsons & Johnsons, Calvin Klein, etc.
It is important to remember that Copyright do not give your business or logo the same protections as those offered by trademarks. For example, some or all of your copyrighted work may be used on a “fair use” basis.
Trademarks can not be used and allow you to protect your trademark against imposters using similar names to deceive your potential customers.
If you've already registered as a business in your state, it doesn't automatically protect your business name as a trademark. In fact, someone can register the same or a similar name as a trademark and potentially prevent you from using it.
How to apply for a brand
First of all, you need to understand what you can submit as a trademark in your application.
- You cannot submit a name that someone else is already using as a trademark.
- Your name may not be too similar to an existing brand
- It must be unique and not too generic
Then you must perform a thorough search of existing brands using the Trademark electronic search system or TESS on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
This step is very important because it can save you money if someone else has already registered or applied for the same trademark. You can search for a word mark, word or design mark, or use the advanced search for free form combinations.
If the trademark is not registered, you can search for the trademark by visiting the Trademark electronic application system or TEAS available on the USPTO website.
Trois forms Different application requests are available with different fees. You will also find information on which form to choose for your application on the page.
The forms application are quite detailed and you must fill in all the required fields.
Once you have submitted the request form, you will receive a confirmation email. After that you have to wait for the approval.
Filing a trademark application is a legal process that must be handled with care. We recommend that you hire a lawyer to help you apply for a trademark. You can also use online legal service providers like Corpnet ou LegalZoom, which provide legal services to small businesses and low-cost individuals.
How to make a copyright on the logo of your blog?
As we mentioned earlier, all creative work is automatically protected by copyright laws. However, registering your copyrights will help you add an extra layer of protection to your copyrights.
Depending on where you are, you can usually find out where and how to apply for copyright in your area online. The process would be different depending on the laws and procedures in your country.
If you are located in the United States, you can claim a copyright by visiting the website of the United States Copyright Office.
First you need to find the appropriate category for your job. For example, if you are applying for copyright for your logo, you will click on the visual arts section. For blog content, you need to visit the “Other digital content” category.
On the next page, you will be able to download the application form with instructions available in different formats.
You can also apply for copyright registration online. You will need to provide copies of the work you are trying to protect. For example, in the case of a logo, you can provide high resolution images.
Once you've applied for copyright, it may take a long time for you to hear from the copyright office, depending on how many applications they have.
If you find the process complicated then you can use the services I mentioned above which offer low cost legal services for small businesses and individuals.
Application of your trademark and copyright
Once you have registered your trademark or copyright, you are responsible for protecting against counterfeiting. Even though the USPTO office does not allow anyone to register the same or similar mark, users can still use it without registering.
The first step in protecting your trademarks and copyrights is to clearly state your trademarks and copyright protection on your website.
Trademark and copyright symbols let others know that they cannot use your protected properties for business.
If someone has stolen your blog's content or logo, you can send them a cease and desist letter asking them to remove the content. You can also file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) complaint with their provider.accommodation and search engines like Google to remove stolen content.
In the event that a business or blog starts using your registered or pending trademark, you can also send them a cease and desist notice. You can also take legal action to take further action if necessary.
Note: Nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice. For any questions of clarification, please consult a lawyer.
