Trademark registration is an invaluable intellectual property asset to any company. Trademark registration is a must. There is never really any confusion about whether you should or you shouldn’t register your trademark. However, a lot of companies, especially startups, hesitate to get a trademark registration. This is because trademark registration can prove to be prohibitively expensive. Startups already have a tight budget, so they choose to forego getting a trademark registration to not overshoot their budget. Preceding trademark registration isn’t the best decision. This is because getting a trademark registration is an investment because you’re taking the first step to building your brand’s image.
There are a few ways to reduce the cost of registering your trademark and ease the burden on your finances.
1. Apply Online
Since the time e-filing for trademarks was introduced, it is always better to apply for trademark registration online. It is cheaper than physical filing for trademark registration. It is an additional benefit that e-filing is also more environmentally friendly.
2. Choose The Trademark Carefully
The first step to getting a trademark registration is to choose the trademark. It helps first to understand what you can and cannot register as a trademark. For example, you cannot register descriptive words, generic words, or government symbols as a trademark. Let’s take an example here, suppose you have a company that manufactures cycles. You cannot trademark the name SMOOTH CYCLES for your company as the name describes the product your company is manufacturing, i.e., cycles. So if you apply for the trademark SMOOTH CYCLES, it is sure to get rejected, and with it, you will also lose the trademark application money. Of course, the instinct is always to choose a descriptive name because you think it will be easier for the consumers to recall it. But the truth is, a distinctive and unique name resounds better with the consumers.
As such, it is always better to choose a name you know can be trademarked. A name that is distinctive and memorable.
Apart from choosing a distinctive name, it is equally important to choose a unique name, a name that is not already in use. Therefore, before applying for a trademark, it is always better to conduct a trademark search to find out whether the name you have chosen already exists.
Applying for a trademark without checking could prove to be futile. If there is already a registered trademark that is similar to the trademark you have applied for, your application will get rejected.
Therefore it is always better to apply for a trademark after checking everything to reduce the chances of it getting rejected.
3. Hire a Trademark Expert
Many people think it is better to file the trademark by themselves without hiring professional help. Indeed, filing for trademark registration is not rocket science. Anyone can do it. However, it is always advisable to engage professional advice because only the trademark experts know the nuances of applying for trademark registration. They will help you by minimizing the chances of your trademark application getting rejected.
When you approach a trademark expert, they will first conduct a trademark search to determine whether your trademark can be registered or not.
Moreover, choosing the goods and services classification for your products and services can be a bit tricky. You have to be sure about the class or classes under which you want to file the trademark registration. It will be a problem if the classification is too narrow or too broad. As such, this is best left to an expert.
Understandably, hiring a trademark expert will cost money. But, this is money well spent. Hiring a trademark expert means lesser chances of getting your trademark application rejected.
4. Word mark over Logomark
When you want to get a trademark registration, the most common choice is between a word mark and a logo mark. If you have a design, then you have to go in for a logo mark registration. Then, you will also have to get a wordmark registration for your brand name. This would only double the cost. To avoid this, you can just get a word mark registration for your trademark. A wordmark, once registered, can be represented in any manner you choose. Only the term and the spellings have to be the same. The graphical representation can be anyhow you want. If you have a unique and distinctive design, you should get a logo mark. Otherwise, you can just get a word mark and then represent it however you wish. A word mark registration gives you that flexibility and broader protection.
5. Focus Only on One Brand
If your company has several products and services, you will have different names for all the products and services. Should you then trademark them all? The cost of trademarking all of the names will be very high. To avoid this, have one common brand name for all the services and products that you have to offer. Trademark only that. Use the brand name along with some descriptive sub-names for all the different services and products you have to offer. This way, your products and services will still have trademark protection, and your consumers will also know your diverse range. Google is the best example of this. It has sub-names like, Google maps, Google Photos, Google translate, and the like.
The fact that you need trademark protection for your brand is undeniable. Not registering your trademark gives a window of opportunity for third parties to misrepresent your brand. Therefore, it is best to get a trademark registration and use the methods listed to reduce the financial strain of getting the trademark registration.
