BUSINESS ATTORNEYS WITH A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Brand protection may depend on your creative process

On Behalf of | Aug 3, 2021 | Intellectual Property |

As a businessperson, you probably already understand the importance of protecting your intellectual property (IP). You must secure IP rights to protect yourself from others’ attempts to piggyback off your success.

Brand recognition is imperative in building customer loyalty as you scale. But, how can you get consumers to identify with and recognize your brand?

How strong is your trademark?

Your trademark might be a design, symbol, word or phrase that distinguishes your goods. You might even choose to combine a word with a logo, for example.

No matter how you choose to identify your business, your trademark’s effectiveness may depend on how uniquely you approach the process.

Three ways to secure rights to your brand

Since a trademark doesn’t necessarily provide you blanket ownership of a word, consider these three ways to proceed:

  • Suggestive trademarks don’t specify the products marketed. However, they give potential buyers an idea of what they might expect when they use your goods.
  • Arbitrary trademarks have no clear association with their associated products. Think about Steve Jobs’ approach to his product line. It’s possibly more challenging to form a consumer connection with this type of approach to IP protection, but that’s not to say it can’t be effective.
  • Fanciful trademarks are made-up words, invented specifically for your goods. Coming up with a unique name for your brand might still involve some initial questions but add to the strength of any potential trademark infringement disputes as you scale.

A trademark is a necessary part of maintaining your rights. Therefore, selecting an original identifier may be the most impactful brand-builder and the best defense.

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