What Should Small Businesses Do To Avoid Violating or to Leverage Trademark Law?
Here are five practical tips about trademark law and your trade name or logo: 1. Do a trademark search before you settle on a trade name and/or logo. You can search (for free) the federal trademark database – Trademark Electronic Search System. One good alternative: a recent startup, Trademarkia, allows you to search trademarks for free – and can help you file your trademark application. You can also leverage Google, Bing and other search engines to look for companies using the name you intend to use for your company or product. Don’t forget to do a domain name search to see if someone is using the name as their domain. It’s always a good idea to hire a trademark search service – even if you think you’re a good researcher. Professional search costs several hundred dollars (and can cost thousands of dollars depending on their coverage), but covers many more databases than you’ll have access to, will often include an international search, and will typically be much more thorough. Althoug
