The Ultimate Trademark Q&A
After more than a decade serving clients and accounts as a Trademark Attorney, speaking at live events, interviewing on tv and online with industry experts and even hosting her own Trademarks Made Easy podcast (which you can find on itunes here!), Suzi Hixon has quite the library of frequently asked questions. Take a deep dive…
Read More...The Benefits of a Trademark Clearance Search
What is a Trademark and Why Are Trademark Clearance Searches Necessary? A trademark is a symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product. Your trademark is the “source indicator” or the “anchor” to your overall brand and products. To be the only entity allowed to use a…
Read More...The Right {or Wrong} Trademark Can Make {or Break} Your eCommerce Brand
Whether we realize it or not, we all encounter trademarks daily. Actually, scratch that..more like hourly. Trademarks are a simple and concise method of communicating information about a brand. The information communicated centers around the desirable qualities and characteristics of the brand. Your trademark “sings” the song of your brand. {You’ve probably already heard me say that…
Read More...3 Tips for Trademark Creation Brainstorming
Are you in the midst of forming a creative team for an internal creative process? Well, there are certainly plenty of pros and cons of forming a creative team when it comes to creating trademarks for your private label products, services, courses, or even the name of a podcast! Nailing down a viable and strong…
Read More...I’m Talking to You, Moon Unit! Why Your Brand Name Could be MORE Important than Your Kid’s Name!
Creating a GREAT Brand Name for your product or service is MORE Important Than Naming Your Kid! Indeed, naming your children is important! (Perhaps that’s why people with names like Rocket Flare, Binge McDingleton, and Felonious Dorcus are legally changing their names at a record rate with as little as “$50 and a few clicks” in the UK!) Even…
Read More...Brain Tattoos & Our Emotional Attachment to Brands
According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, brand attachment is a type of emotional bond that binds the consumer to particular brands. The authors of the study found that the public exhibits devotion to certain trademarks (or brand names) when they perform the following emotional actions: Go out of their way…
Read More...3 Tips Competitors Use For Their Online Brand Protection Strategy
With over 5 million sellers… The fierce competition between online retailers on Amazon can be really stifling and overwhelming. This is not to mention the vicious counterfeiting practices by copycats and other pirates from the underworld who want to rip off the goodwill and reputation of your business name. Is it even possible to distinguish…
Read More...The Principal and the Supplemental Registers ~ Why Amazon Sellers MUST Be Aware of the Difference!
The Federal Trademark Register is made up of two separate registers—and they are not created equal. The Principal Register is just that—the principal, primary list of trademarks with the fullest federal protection. The Supplemental Register, on the other hand, is the second string, reserved for trademarks that couldn’t quite make the cut for the Principal. Let’s just…
Read More...We Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts ~ Is Your Trademark Vulnerable
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) continues to grace us with clarity on what constitutes a “phantom” trademark—and the effect is only slightly less scary than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (“TMEP” or the “Trademark Bible”) states that a phantom element is “a word, alpha-numeric designation, or other…
Read More...Amazon’s Latest Weapon in the Battle Against Counterfeiters is its Transparency Program
Amazon’s latest weapon in the Battle Against Counterfeiters is its Transparency Program (“Transparency”). Transparency allows manufacturers and brand owners to place “Transparency Codes,” which look similar to QR codes, on their products and packaging. Consumers can scan these codes and access data about the product’s origin, including manufacturing location and date. Program participants have the option of…
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