Why You Should Trademark Your Business Name
If you own a business, building and protecting your brand is extremely important and you should take all the steps possible to protect it. Building a successful brand takes a lot of time and energy. You want to protect it as much as possible, even if you are just starting out or have a small operation. You never know where you will end up. If you haven’t taken care of trademark issues from the beginning, it can become a very expensive issue down the road. Trademarking the name of your business is a smart move, especially in today’s internet heavy business environment.
With technology expanding and almost every business having some presence on the internet, registering a trademark has become an important way to protect your brand.
If you don’t register your business name then your rights only extend as far as the reach of your brand. For example if you just started a business called “Sell T-Shirts” selling t-shirts and you currently only sell them in Virginia, that’s the only place you are protected. Anyone else could start a business called “Sell T-Shirts” in one of the other 49 states. If you register the trademark, you get nationwide protection and use. Trademarking the name will put everyone on notice that you own the trademark and have the exclusive right to use it in connection with goods or services. Trademarks also have value and can be sold as corporate assets.