It is never to late to try to take advantage of the many benefits of USPTO trademark registration. Even a business that has been operating for years without a trademark registration would generally benefit from trying to enhance the protection for the brand by finally registering it.
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, whether it has been in use one year, five years, or 10 years, 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 years after?
- Because appearing in the USPTO database could prevent future brands from adopting a similar name at any time.
- Because blocking domain names or social media names could always be useful, especially as new ones are introduced.
- Because a trademark registration creates a valuable, tangible asset that can be transferred or used as a security interest.
