By definition, a trademark is a word, symbol or indicator that is legally registered. Intellectual property, in general, is a creation of the mind and includes such things as inventions, literary works, names, images, symbols, designs, and artistic works used in commerce. As the name suggests, we use trademarks registered in the trade. Trademarks make you or your business unique from others and this uniqueness creates a differentiation for you and your business from others in the industry. Differentiation gives your company a competitive advantage in today’s increasingly competitive business environment. For this reason, a company must protect its intellectual property at all costs. Intellectual property protection begins with property registration. Trademark attorneys are here to help with matters related to trademarks and intellectual property in general.
A trademark attorney is a legally qualified person who deals with trademark law matters. He offers legal advice on matters related to design and trademark protection. Essentially, a trademark attorney is a lawyer who has studied and specialized in trademark matters. Although different countries have different classifications in the body of legal services, the trademark lawyer is a separately recognized profession, classified together with lawyers and solicitors. In some places like the United States, the profession is not clearly defined. The classification of trademark lawyers places them as general legal professionals in these countries. A trademark attorney may operate alone, but in many cases several attorneys come together to form a firm. A trademark law firm deals with all matters related to intellectual property and specifically trademarks.
As a company, your trademarks are your business and you must be willing to sacrifice funds to protect this intellectual property. In case of trademark infringement, the company can go to court with the help of a trademark attorney. When a company has a strong interest in trademarks, it would be more economical and prudent to hire a trademark attorney to work for them at all times. This prevents delays in the event of a situation where the company’s rights to trademarks have been infringed. Hiring a full-time trademark attorney may seem expensive, but it is not, considering the value of intellectual property to the business. The attorney also helps advise the company on what intellectual property to protect and what not to protect, as not everything can be protected.
Brand protection is not just for corporations. Intellectual property protection is for any person, corporation or individual, who has intellectual property that they wish to protect by law. If you have that special formula that makes your small business unique from the rest and you don’t want your competitors to copy it, protect it with the help of a trademark owner. Remember, losing your trade secrets to your competitors is equivalent to losing business for them. You no longer enjoy the differentiation that used to give you a competitive edge. No matter how simple a work of art is, protect it to avoid a situation where competitors could copy it and use it to put you out of business.
