How do I protect my business name, and logo?
I live in Ohio, and I started a business about 6 months ago. It appears I am going to be an established business, how do I protect myself from having someone steal my name or my logo? Its an online business. Thanks!
You need to register the logo as a trademark, and can do that when you register the company name. Also, add the trademark symbol to your logo, that will help protect it.
Get a TradeMark : A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. In short, a trademark is a brand name.
Check the link below for a detailed guide on TradeMark and related issues :
you will need to contact a patent office and ask them to TradeMark your logo and business name. Otherwise, you will leave it up to the courts to decide if both parties had legal rights to both your logo and your name.
Copyrights/Trademark registrations can be upwards of $8k-$15k. You may be able to file yourself for less money, but I’m not so sure I’d go that way. I used to own a franchise whose competitors were stealing parts of their logos, the fact that they had the proper trade marking helped them out tremendously but they still ended up in court for years and are still fighting to have their competition change their logo.