With the rise and fall of business, it has been varying in the nick of time. Now, if you go into any corner of the world, you can see businesses, be it big or small, and they all stand tall and proud. What makes the difference is that each business has evolved based on its uniqueness and branding, along with brand value. As you can see, circumstances and situations can change at any moment. To tackle a huge predicament is to trademark your site.
So, a trademark is not just the concept of how you legally bind your website just for a formality. It is that one official signature that gives your brand authenticity and makes you unique among your competition. Now think of a business that looks and feels the same, sounds and offers the same assurance…. Well, isn’t that boring? Here is where the trademark comes in.
What is a Trademark?
It is a distinctive sign that recognizes the service or source of goods, usually, you can trademark words, colors, phrases, logos, symbols, designs or something of a combination of all this. This can mark your brand identity and set you apart from other businesses.
Why you should Trademark your website?
- Trademarking comes with several benefits, ranging from protecting your brand to giving you legal rights over your assets.
- Brand Protection, by giving your brand a trademark, averts others from using similar names or symbolism that could spread across easily and confuse consumers.
- With brand protection, you are also safeguarding your goodwill along with the brand reputation you built around it.
- As it is legally binding, you can gain the legal rights to stop anyone from making websites that look similar to your site. Giving you an easy hand to take legal action against infringement and recover damages.
- The last thing is that it can increase your brand value to a great extent as it can create a distinctive buzz, showing that it is unique to your own business, which could lead to more potential investors and buyers.
- A strong trademark opens up the opportunity to license, which could also allow you to gain additional profits and revenue.
- Now, if you are looking for ways to build your brand recognition and customer loyalty, a registered trademark is one way to go.
- Trademarks also be used in campaigns for marketing, promotions,etc to differentiate your brand
When should you Trademark your Website?
- Note that you don’t actually need to trademark every kind of website, but here are some pointers you have to keep in mind when you should trademark your website.
- Unique Brand Identity, so if your website has a unique name, or brand identity that sets you apart from others in the industry.
- Another opportunity that you should not miss is to trademark your website if you are planning to expand your business by launching new products or services. This can help you gain the upper hand in the market, giving you a stronger potential for growth.
- As a business owner, if you plan to be in this business for the long term, with long-term goals, it is essential that you protect your brand for the future.
- Finally, if you are trying to flourish your business in a highly competitive industry, then protecting your brand from infringement is important, and this could be done through a trademark.
How to Trademark your website?
Let's dig deep into how you can trade mark your website.
- Start by searching the trademark database before filling in the website, check whether your site is available for trademark. This can be done by searching the United States Patent and Trademark Office or USPTO database.
- To determine the right type of trademark, you have to trademark the goods, or services or both.
- Submit the completed application to the USPTO; now, this comes with some necessary fee transactions.(Yes, application for a trademark is not free)
- Next process might take a time, you have to wait for a review and response. The USTPO will review the authenticity of your application and might request additional information or clarification on why you are applying for a trademark.
- Once the review is through, your trademark will be issued in the Official Gazette, which gives third parties to oppose your trademark application.
- If there is no opposition, viola!!! Your trademark is registered successfully.
Apart from all this there are other important aspects that you need to know about Trademark.
- Applying for a trademark is good if you are planning to expand your business internationally, this could help you protect your brand internationally.
- You can renew and maintain your registered trademarks periodically from time to time.
- It is also important to consult with an intellectual property attorney or advocate, as they can give you a refined guidance into this delicate and complex process.
Wrap up
My answer to this predicament is that you can and do not have to trademark your website. But it is a very strategic move as it comes with a handful of perks by applying for a trademark. With a trademark, you can protect your brand, restructure your brand value, and take legal action against infringement. Understand your benefits and how the process works, what it binds and does not, understand more on the legal aspects of it, etc, before you step towards trademarking your business.
