Food trucks have a heightened need to proper trademark protection:
- The industry is booming and growing rapidly, with lots of new brand names being developed every month.
- There have been many instances where food truck operators have used names too similar to those of existing restaurants or other food trucks/carts.
- Food trucks are generally very local businesses. Therefore, without USPTO registration, a food truck brand is only protected in the local geographic area where it operates and not anywhere else in the U.S. Federal registration provides protection in all 50 states, which is important not only to avoid confusion online and on social media, but for potential expansion, licensing, or franchising.
- Social media user names and domain names are particularly valuable in the food truck business since a great deal of customers track the truck locations online. Trademark protection can help avoid or solve domain name trademark issues.
- The cost of rebranding a food truck can be enough to crush a business. Repainting or re-wrapping a truck is not cheap, and the loss of customer loyalty due to a re-branding is a real possibility.
For more, see Trademark protection for food truck operators
