How to Getinternational trademarks Protection for Your Brand
Trademark registration is the only way to guarantee that your brand is protected in every country where it might be used to sell your goods or services that’s because a company can only register a trademark in one country. And it can only do that with the help of an attorney or trademark registrar.
Other ways to protect your brand fall short of providing that level of quality before starting an international trademark strategy, you should know the various ways you can protect your brand. Let’s take a look at some of them and figure out which strategy is right for you.
Register Your Trademark
One way to protect your brand is by registering a trademark this strategy is the most effective because it will give you rights in every country where you might use it or sell your goods or services.
But another benefit of international trademarks is that it helps prevent someone else from stealing your logo, design, or slogan and passing it off as their own that’s why it’s important to register your trademark before this happens.
The process of registering a trademark can be complicated and expensive, which could deter some business owners from doing it themselves. If you decide to hire an attorney to do it for you, the cost will depend on the size of the company and how much work they need to do to register the trademark.
It could cost anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 you should also know that there are some countries where trademarks cannot be registered at all, like China and Russia.
Use a Service Mark
A service mark is a type of trademark that identifies and distinguishes the services of one person or organization from the same or similar services provided by others.
There are two things you need to know about service marks:
- First, you don’t have to show that your service has any connection with a geographical region.
- Second, you only need to show that your service mark is unique for your specific goods and services.
Submit your Trademark to the USPTO
The United States Patent and Trademark Office known as USPTO offers a service that can help you register your trademark in the U.S.
There are three different levels of protection and each level provides a different level of protection:
- The first level is just to put a TM symbol next to your brand name as an indication that it’s registered, but it doesn’t provide any other protection.
- The second level protects your trademark from infringement within the US only, regardless of whether you’re using the mark for goods or services. It also requires that you submit a declaration of use with 5 years of continuous use.
- The third level protects the trademark from infringement both within and outside the US and includes registration costs at $325 per class plus attorney fees.
Register Your Trademark in Other Countries
The first way to protect your brand is through trademark registration, registering your trademark in other countries can be a bit costly and time-consuming. However, it’s the only way to guarantee that your brand is protected in every country where it might be used to sell your goods or services.
That’s because a company can only register a trademark in one country and it can only do that with the help of an attorney or trademark registrar.