Trademark protection is important and valuable for all brands, and for all small businesses. Yet. food trucks have a heightened need to proper trademark protection. Why is it so important?
– The industry and 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 restaurant or other food trucks/carts. See several examples in my slides below.
– Food trucks are generally very local businesses. Therefore, without USPTO registration the food truck brand is only protected in the local geographic area where it operates and not anywhere else in the US. 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, and/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 locations online. Trademark protection can help avoid and/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.
