Can i practice trademark law in any state [Best Answer]

Last updated : Sept 9, 2022

How do I become a trademark attorney in the US?

To become a trademark attorney, you need a Master of Laws degree. That means you must first complete a Juris Doctor program from a school approved by the American Bar Association, then apply to an LL. M. program that focuses on trademark law.

What Cannot be protected under trademark law?

Trademark Basics Non-generic words, logos, slogans, colors, smells, and sounds can all be registered with the USPTO, as long as you can demonstrate how they represent your business. Inventions and works of authorship cannot become registered trademarks and should be protected with patents or copyrights respectively.

Is trademark can be legally protected?

A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises. Trademarks are protected by intellectual property rights.

Is there a trademark bar exam?

The examination for individuals seeking registration or recognition to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office is offered year-round via computer at test centers across the country and on a date and time chosen by the applicant. The USPTO no longer administers a paper examination.

Who can register as trademark attorney?

Any person who: Is a citizen of India. Has completed the age of 21 years. Has graduated from any recognized university in India or possesses an equivalent qualification.

Is trademark law state or federal?

Trademarks are governed by both state and federal law. Originally, state common law provided the main source of protection for trademarks. However, in the late 1800s, the U.S. Congress enacted the first federal trademark law.

What are the 4 types of trademarks?

• Generic. A generic term is a common description that does not receive trademark protection.
• Descriptive.
• Suggestive.
• Arbitrary or Fanciful.

What names can you not trademark?

• Proper names or likenesses without consent from the person.
• Generic terms, phrases, or the like.
• Government symbols or insignia.
• Vulgar or disparaging words or phrases.
• The likeness of a U.S. President, former or current.
• Immoral, deceptive, or scandalous words or symbols.
• Sounds or short motifs.

How long does a trademark last?

A federal trademark lasts 10 years from the date of registration, with 10-year renewal terms. Between the fifth and sixth year after the registration date, the registrant must file an affidavit to state that the mark is still in use.

How long can one be protected by trademark law?

How long is a mark protected? A trademark can be protected in perpetuity if regularly monitored and properly maintained. The period of protection is ten (10) years from the date of issuance and is renewable for a period of ten (10) years at a time. Where do we file the application?

Which is better trademark or copyright?

Copyright protects original work, whereas a trademark protects items that distinguish or identify a particular business from another. Copyright is generated automatically upon the creation of original work, whereas a trademark is established through common use of a mark in the course of business.

How hard is the USPTO exam?

Despite being an open book exam, the patent bar exam is one of the toughest in the country, with less than 50% passing since 2013. Many students put in additional hours post-course of study but still feel like they're ill-prepared and nervous on exam day.

How can I study for USPTO exam?

1. Take a patent bar exam prep course.
2. Do as many sample test questions as possible.
3. Introduce yourself to patent attorneys in your town.
4. Clear your mind in between study sessions.
5. Visit the testing center a week or so before your exam.
6. Bring your lunch.

How do you become a trademark agent?

A trademark agent or attorney is a qualified legal professional, who advises on all the legal aspects of Trademark filings, registration, and objections. To become a trademark agent, it's mandatory to clear an examination conducted by the Trademarks Registry called the Trademark Agent Exam.

What is the difference between trademark agent and trademark attorney?

He can only practice in trademark laws and that too after fulfilling various conditions of the IPAB whereas a trademark attorney has more knowledge and is a qualified lawyer and practices law outside the IPAB Trademark Office as well and so have an upper edge over the agents.

Can I do trademark registration myself?

So, an individual can file for the registration of his trademark himself. The application can be filed online through the e-filing gateway available at the official website or in writing with the Indian Trademark Office (TMO).

How do I become a registered trademark registrar?

To become a Trademarks agent in India, it's mandatory to pass the Trademarks exam. The basic qualification to appear in the exam has been prescribed under the Trademarks Act, 1999.

Does a trademark cover all 50 states?

Federal trademarks give you ownership across all 50 states, plus all U.S. territories. Federal trademarks allow you to use the ® symbol. You can file infringement suits in federal courts. Your mark will be listed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database.

Should I register my trademark in state or federal?

If a federal registration is obtained before the use of a similar mark in a state, the federal registration has priority over the state registration. If there is any conflict between a federal and state trademark, the Court will most likely rule in favor of the federal registration.

Is a trademark good in all states?

While every state allows you to obtain a trademark registration, a federal trademark registration provides the greatest rights. This is because when you obtain a United States federal trademark your rights will exist throughout the country, and not just in one particular geographic locality.

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hi i'm stan muller this is crash course intellectual property and today we're talking about trademarks trademarks are everywhere and they can often be confusing so today we're going to talk about why just about everything seems to be trademarked and why trademarks are good for business mr mueller trademarks don't intersect with my life so i really don't see why we need to cover this one it's mueller and two just watch the video a trademark is any word name symbol or device used to identify and distinguish goods from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods even if that source is unknown this bit about unknown sources means that you as a consumer don't usually know the person or factory that actually made the goods you buy before the industrial revolution you often knew exactly who was making your stuff and how it was made if you wanted a hammer you went to the blacksmith and you knew his name it was probably smith these days brand names assure you that you're buying the same product say toilet paper that you bought last time you went shopping you know like the stuff with the ripples seriously though getting the wrong medication because of brand name confusion or counterfeiting could be disastrous the rationale for granting legal protection for trademarks is that they're a type of property it demonstrates to the purchasing public a standard of quality and embodies the goodwill and advertising investment of its owner in other words companies expend a tremendous amount of resources to develop the product market it to customers and provide customer support and back up their product with warranties at its core trademark law functions as a consumer protection measure it prevents consumer confusion and makes it easier for consumers to select and purchase the goods and services they want for example if you go shopping for a new television you don't have to sift through dozens of products that are confusingly similar to samsung knockoffs like samsung or wamsung or sony you want the samsung maybe based on past experience or the company's reputation or even a funny ad because the law protects the manufacturer's use of the trademark you can be reasonably sure that the tv you're picking up at best buy is the tv you saw the verge reporters freaking out about at ces though trademarks are often classified as intellectual property the supreme court held in the 1879 trademark cases that congress has no power to protect or regulate trademarks under the intellectual property clause of the constitution which as you'll recall provides congress with the authority to regulate and protect copyrights and patents but this didn't stop congress from regulating trademarks they used the commerce clause of the constitution which gives them the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states and with the indian tribes beyond trademarks there are also service marks which are very similar in that they distinguish one particular service an example of a service mark is that roaring lion at the beginning of mgm movies it's registered for motion picture production or something trade dress or product packaging is protected if it's distinctive and non-functional like the shape of a nutter butter cookie is protected trade dress what they ought to trademark is the smell some people have registered smells and we'll get to that in a minute trademarks are symbols and since human beings might use as a symbol or device almost anything that is capable of carrying meaning just about any conceivable thing can function as a trademark trademarks can be words like craft or lego logos designs like the nike swoosh aromas like there's a brand of oil for race cars that smells like cherries sounds like bong bong bong or bada or bada papa even though is a registered trademark you can register colors like ups brown or home depot orange or tiffany blue or john deere green personal names like taylor swift t swizzy's name is registered for 61 different goods and services from shoes to christmas tree ornaments even containers like the coca-cola bottle or this perfume bottle shaped like a human skull can be registered in short they can be almost anything that distinguishes the product from others and which signifies the source of the goods despite the breadth of potential trademark subject matter there are some limits on what can be a valid trademark recently a restaurant in texas asserted trademark rights in the flavor of its pizza one of the restaurant's former employees allegedly stole the recipe and opened up a competing pizza joint selling pizzas that tasted a lot like those made by his former employer the judge rejected the claim and dismissed the case finding that it is unlikely that flavors can ever be inherently distinctive because they do not automatically suggest a product source also functional product features are not protectable under trademark law pizza has only one function that's to taste delicious so there are three requirements for trademarks we just discussed the first one that a trademark has to be a symbol or device that a court or the patent and trademark office deems to qualify the second requirement is that the mark has to be used in interstate commerce and the third is that it has to identify the mark owner's goods and distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others it has to be distinctive let's talk about trademarks and what makes them distinctive in the thought window quartz rank trademark distinctiveness along a spectrum ranging from unprotectable to highly protectable at the bottom end of the spectrum is generic generic names refer to stuff like using the word orange for the fruit or dog for the canine or cheese for cheese descriptive terms simply describe the goods and convey an immediate idea of what the product is such as break and bake for scored cookie dough suggestive marks require some imagination or perception to link them to the goods like chic for middle eastern food or fruit loops for a circular fruit flavored breakfast cereal arbitrary marks are common words used in unexpected ways apple for computers or amazon for book sales or shelf for gasoline the most distinctive marks are usually made up words fanciful marks are non-dictionary words such as google for an internet search engine or clorox for bleach or kodak for film fanciful arbitrary and suggestive marks receive automatic protection upon use because they're considered to be inherently distinctive so the owner of the break and bake mark has to show that consumers identify the product with nabisco or pillsbury or whoever makes the product i honestly don't know who makes it which isn't a good sign as to whether it's acquired secondary meaning generic terms are never entitled to protection this becomes important when trademarks are gradually assimilated into the language as common names through a process sometimes called generocide the public comes to view such names as referring to the products themselves rather than as distinguishing the source of the products as a result the name loses its protection words like escalators cel

Thanks for your comment Louie Beaufort, have a nice day.
- Avery Jaenicke, Staff Member

everybody trademark attorney Josh gurbin I want to answer a common question we get which is what do trademark attorneys do in today's world you have a lot of internet-based companies that claim they can file your trademark for $69 so why should you hire a trademark attorney what can an attorney do for you so you're the five things that I think trademark attorneys do that add the most value to any trademark application process the first is identified that trademarks your company has the second is properly searched those trademarks prior to you adopting them or trying to register them with the federal government the third is to develop a proper filing strategy the fourth is to correctly draft your application to avoid technical errors that could result in the refusal of your trademark application and the final is to respond to any office actions or refusals that you may receive along the way so the first point on our list is that a trademark attorney can help identify the trademarks your company has and you may say well Josh that seems pretty simple but it might not be so obviously you've got your company name that's typically one you've got slogans perhaps you've got logos but what about your individual product names or product feature names what about service names that you may have what about this names for seminars your company may offer theirs you could even protect the packaging for a product the way it looks you could protect the look and feel of a store that you have there's all sorts of different things you can protect as trademarks and a good trademark attorney can help you identify what things you can register and add to your IP portfolio which ultimately adds value to your business over time the second thing a good trademark attorney can do is conduct trademark searches on your trademarks before you get too far into marketing them and before you even file a trademark application this way here you don't waste money on trademark applications that are almost certainly to be refused or you can identify a potential conflict before it gets to be a huge problem the third thing a good attorney can do is help you with a filing strategy for your trademarks so an example of this is that we will get a client that calls us and says hey I'd like to register my name logo and slogan and he it is all in one neat package here's a good example let's look at Nike logo right you have a Nike the swoosh and just do it underneath it so a lot of clients will think this is one trademark vine but it's actually three so you have the name Nike you have the swoosh itself and then you have just do it and the reason you would want to file all three of these elements separately is that a the protection in each individual element is much stronger if it's registered alone just from a legal standpoint and be if any of these elements changes over time it will affect the overall rights of the trademark so for example your name may always be Nike but let's say that swoosh gets outdated right and you need to change it well you can change that swoosh and you'll never lose the rights in the word Nike you would just file a new application for whatever the new swoosh looks like or the the new logo looks like down the road so developing that particular filing strategy is something that trademark attorneys do for clients that many clients on their own would not be able to understand because it's just not something they do on a daily basis the fourth item on our list is that trademark attorneys help draft proper trademark applications that meet the technical specifications of the United States Patent and Trademark Office it's important to remember that a trademark application is a legal document and while the questions may sometimes seem innocuous or easy there's typically a technical response that's required in order for the government to be able to approve your application so if a trademark attorney drafts your application you're more likely to see an approval by the government than if you just draft it yourself you don't have to take my word for this the University of North Carolina did a study that showed there was nearly a 50% increase in the acceptance rate of applications from people that filed a trademark with an attorney versus doing it without and the final thing that trademark attorneys do is we help respond to office actions or refusals to a trademark application so not all trademark applications go smoothly and you may receive a refusal for one reason or another it's not the end of the road by far for most trademarks for example if you receive a refusal because of a potentially conflicting other trademark there's a number of things a trademark attorney can evaluate and help you do for example could you just draft an appeal could we make an argument to the that would get around the refusal or maybe it's a little bit more complicated maybe the owner of that blocking registration is no longer using that trademark an attorney can help you evaluate whether or not that trademark could actually be cancelled allowing your trademark to then proceed so as you can see there are many things that trademark attorneys do that can be helpful to developing and securing your trademark and intellectual property portfolio I hope you found this helpful and I'll talk to you next time

Thanks atomizmH your participation is very much appreciated
- Avery Jaenicke

About the author

Avery Jaenicke

I've studied programming paradigms at Manhattanville College in Purchase and I am an expert in sociology of food. I usually feel nerdy. My previous job was set designer I held this position for 27 years, I love talking about fingerpainting and camping. Huge fan of Billy Porter I practice ski jumping and collect clothing and accessories.