Only with a U.S. registered trademark do you have strong evidence of nationwide exclusive rights to your trademark. And without that, you’re taking a huge risk that someone else can claim a registration and force you to rebrand.

We generally recommend that you protect your brand elements in this order (but it depends).

• BUSINESS NAME (WORDS ONLY). Your business name is likely your most valuable trademark. It’s smart to get that protected first!
• FLAGSHIP PRODUCT OR SERVICE. Do you have a popular product line? An online program? A podcast? Those are protectable as trademarks as well.
• SLOGAN, CATCHPHRASE, MOTTO, OR MISSION STATEMENT. You will eventually want to protect these. You want to be proactive about these trademarks so that another business doesn’t claim these in the future and force you to rebrand.
• STYLIZED NAMES + LOGOS. Most trademark applications protect the “words only” of the trademark. But if your branding has a particular stylizing or look to it, that can be protected as well.
• YOUR SOMEDAY/MAYBE STUFF. Are you considering a rebrand, a name for a new business, or a slogan you want to start using? It’s possible to apply for a trademark before you even start using it. In fact, this is what our biggest clients do so that they can lock in trademark protections before they spend time or money committing to the brand.

When you sign up, we will get right to work for you and have your application submitted in 1-2 weeks. After we apply, however, it could take 9-15 months or longer to work its way through the US trademark office.

You should be prepared invest about $2,500 + filing fees to work with a quality law firm to protect and LEGALLY OWN your brand.

Yep! And this is something that sets Indie Law apart. If we’re not successful in getting your trademark registered, your next one is 100% on us (including filing fees).

You can start using the little TM symbol now — even without filing for anything. (Tip: Use a little SM symbol if you sell a service instead of a product). You can only use the ® once you have a registered trademark.

If you review our report and decide not to apply, you can receive a complementary second search on a different trademark. And depending on the package you select, we can even issue you a full refund.

Under our Pro Package, if your first application is rejected AND we’re not successful in getting your trademark registered, your next one is 100% on us (including filing fees). Under our Max Package, you're entitled to a full refund if your trademark application is not successful.

First we celebrate! 🎉 Then we’ll mail you the registration certificate, send you helpful legal documents, and advise on next steps.

Applying for a trademark registration requires a filing fee per class. Filing fees are not included in the initial trademark package. If your trademark application only requires one class, we will collect the fee before submitting the application. If your trademark requires multiple classes, we will collect the first class’ fee before submitting the application. Then, after the trademark office reviews your application and allows us to add the additional classes, we will collect the fee for any additional class you opt to include.

It’s critical to apply for your trademarks ASAP to be “first in line” with the trademark office. If you’re not yet using the trademark in commerce, we can apply for an “intent to use” application. Note that intent to use applications require an additional $100 filing fee per class — but that small extra fee is usually worth it.

A U.S. trademark registration offers strong, nationwide exclusive protections. But those exclusive rights do not extend beyond the United States. Still, if your business is based outside the United States, we can still help! As long as you are selling to customers in the United States, you are able to seek a U.S. trademark registration.

It depends on the situation, but we generally recommend that you do not wait to enforce your trademark rights until you have secured the registration. Instead, it is often recommended to enforce your rights while your application is pending, or else you risk having your trademark rights weakened, diluted, or lost entirely due to failure to enforce your trademark rights.