The following is an edited transcript of Chapter 9 of my book video Building a Bold Brand: Registration: Better Late than Never
Ideally, a business should protect its trademarks from the outset, filing as the brand launches or even earlier based on an intent-to-use the mark.
However, if that opportunity has passed, it is still tremendously valuable to seek registration of a trademark, because having the trademark registered prior to a future infringement or dispute is really the key.
Why is registering a trademark important, whether it’s before a brand launches or after?
- Appearing in the USPTO database could prevent future brands from adopting a similar name at any time.
- Blocking domain names or social media names could always be useful, especially as new ones are introduced.
- A trademark registration creates a valuable, tangible asset that can be transferred or used as a security interest.
