Oregon businesses invest quite a bit of money in their brand identity. The last thing business owners want is for someone else to come along and take advantage of the time and money that they spent to build their brand. This is why they need to file for trademarks.
Your brand name is one of your most valuable assets
Your business name is how people identify you. People associate your business name with trust and the product you offer. If someone else were able to market a soda using the name Coke, it would take away the more than a century that the parent company spend building brand recognition. If you trademark your business name, you have the exclusive rights to it, and nobody else can use it.
Having no trademark puts your intellectual property at risk
Without a trademark, all of your intellectual property can be at risk. Imitators abound, especially when you have earned goodwill and respect from the community that you serve. Free riders can take advantage of that when you do not trademark your business, so completing this important step protects you from giving competitors an unfair edge.
Trademark applications can be easier when you hire a professional to help you go through the process. It is best to start now because you can expect the process to take at least one year. It could take even longer if someone else objects to your application. Your lawyer might help minimize some of the potential roadblocks to the process by ensuring that your application is correct and performing a trademark search before filing. They may also handle any disputes that arise during the process.
