Where can I secure my business name?
Your brand is your business’s identity, so it’s important to secure it. To be sure no one improperly uses your business’s name or branding, you need to obtain a trademark. To do so, you’ll need to file an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Does a LLC protect your business name?
When you incorporate, form an LLC, or file a DBA (Doing Business As), this process registers your business name with that state’s secretary of state. … It prevents anyone else from using the name within the state, but it doesn’t offer any kind of protection in the other 49 states.
Can I copyright my business name for free?
You can not register a trademark for free. However, you can establish something known as a “common law trademark” for free, simply by opening for business. The benefit of relying on common law trademark rights is that it’s free, and you don’t need to do any specific work filling out forms, etc.
Do I need to copyright my small business name?
You certainly don’t have to register the copyright and trademark your company’s name or logo. In the United States, you own the copyright as soon as you put original work on a piece of paper or computer drive, and you win a trademark as soon as you use your name and logo for marketing your business.
How can I legally protect my business?
Protect your most important assets
- Establish employment agreements. Ensure that your employees are forbidden from revealing any restricted records, formulas, or intellectual property.
- Apply for trademarks, patents & copyrights. …
- Secure your information. …
- Sign confidentiality agreements. …
- Incorporate your business.
What happens if I don’t trademark my business?
If you do not register your trademark, you will have legal rights only within the geographic areas where you operate. This means you may be able to stop a subsequent user of the mark, even if it is a bigger company, from using the mark in your geographic area only.
Do I need an EIN for my LLC?
An LLC will need an EIN if it has any employees or if it will be required to file any of the excise tax forms listed below. Most new single-member LLCs classified as disregarded entities will need to obtain an EIN. … It should use the name and TIN of the single member owner for federal tax purposes.
What comes first LLC or trademark?
But generally speaking, it is best to form the business first. … If the plan is to form an LLC to operate your business using that trademark, then the LLC should be the trademark owner. So the LLC needs to exist before the application is filed. Let’s say we file the application for the trademark first.
How do I copyright my business name and logo?
Filing a Copyright Registration Application
Go to the U.S. Copyright Office website. Select “Electronic Copyright Registration” to fill in the Form VA online for registration of a work of Visual Arts. Name the creator of the logo and include contact information for the owner. Many logos are works for hire.
How much does it cost to copyright a name?
The basic cost to trademark a business name ranges from $225 to $600 per trademark class. This is the cost to submit your trademark application to the USPTO. The easiest and least expensive way to register your trademark is online, through the USPTO’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).
Can I trademark my name?
Trademark law protects names, logos and other “marks” that are used in commerce. … But if—like most people—you only use your name for personal purposes, you can’t register it as a trademark. In addition, you can’t trademark your name if it is likely to be confused with other registered trademarks.
Should you trademark your business name and logo?
A small business needs to protect its intellectual property, which includes its business name and logo. … Generally speaking, you should apply for trademark registrations for your business name, logo, slogan and designs separately.