*Please note that while Gerben Law Firm, PLLC is not located in California, it can assist businesses from California in registering a federal trademark because it is a federal matter.

Founded in 2008, Gerben Law Firm has been helping clients register and protect their trademarks all over the United States, including Anaheim. Since that time, Josh Gerben, and his team of experienced trademark attorneys have registered thousands of trademarks on behalf of individuals and businesses of all sizes. Whether you want to open a hotel near Disneyland or you want to expand your construction company in Yorba Linda, Gerben Law Firm is ready to assist you in registering and protecting your trademark.

Federal Trademark Registration for Your Anaheim Business

• Top Questions about Obtaining a Trademark
• Misconceptions about Filing Trademarks
• Number of Trademarks Registered in Anaheim
• Trademark Services for Anaheim Clients
• Additional Information on Trademarks

Top 4 Questions Anaheim Businesses Have About Obtaining and Protecting a Trademark

• How is a trademark different than a copyright?
  • A trademark protects the aspects of your business that represent your brand. This might include words, phrases, logos, or slogans. Unlike trademarks, copyrights protect creative works like music, books, and artwork not representative of a specific business.

• Why should I hire a trademark attorney?
  • Business owners sometimes begin the trademark registration process on their own, only to learn it is much more complicated and time consuming than they thought. Working with an experienced trademark attorney not only allows you to focus on growing your business, it can also increase your chances of approval from the USPTO. In fact, a study conducted by the University of North Carolina found that trademark applications submitted with the help of a trademark attorney were 50% more likely to be approved.

• Should I wait until my business is established before I register my trademark?
  • Do not wait to register your trademark. In order to protect your business, you should file a trademark registration prior to beginning business operations. The date you file will become your priority date, which means anyone looking to file a similar mark at a later date will not be approved. Failing to register your trademark could leave you vulnerable to infringement, which could greatly impact the success of your business.

• How long is the process to register a trademark?
  • Obtaining a federal trademark registration typically takes around 8-10 months from start to finish. In some situations, however, the trademark registration process may take a year or more. Fortunately, you do gain some protection as your application is pending. The date you file your application will become your priority date, which means anyone looking to file a confusingly similar trademark after that date will not be approved by the USPTO.

Common Misunderstandings about Filing Trademarks for Anaheim Businesses

• I can’t afford to register my trademark.
  • Money is often tight for new business owners. While certain business costs are tempting to overlook as you start your business, trademark registration should not be one of them. Failing to register your trademark could actually cost you more in the long run. If you move forward without registration, only to learn you are infringing on another business, you may then have to suspend sales and rebrand your business, which is not only costly, but time consuming as well. Register your trademark with the USPTO to ensure your business is protected.

• Once I’ve registered my trademark, no one else can use it.
  • Obtaining trademark registration for a word does not mean that it cannot be used by any other business. Two brands can have the same name if there is no potential confusion between the products or services that they provide. For instance, Delta is a well-known airline, but it’s also the name of a company that manufactures and sells faucets. They may have the same name, but they are two entirely different companies in two vastly different industries. Therefore, both are free to use and trademark the word ‘Delta.’

• My U.S. registered trademark will protect me in disputes in other countries.
  • Your federally registered trademark provides valuable protections, but those protections only apply to disputes that arise within the United States. If you currently do business internationally, or if you plan to expand outside the U.S. in the near future, you may want to consider registering your trademark in other countries.

• It only takes one trademark to cover your assets.
  • Most businesses require more than one trademark registration to protect their brand. For instance, your business name, product name, logo, and slogan would all require separate trademark registrations. Work with a trademark attorney to determine which aspects of your business may need trademark protections.

• The symbols “TM” and “®” mean the same thing.
  • The symbol ® indicates that your trademark has been federally registered. Until your trademark registration has been approved by the USPTO, you are free to use the ™ symbol. Using the ® prior to obtaining your federal trademark registration is a violation of federal law in the United States. If the USPTO sees that you are using this symbol before your trademark application has been approved, your registration could be rejected.

The Number of Trademarks Registered by Anaheim Businesses (by Year)

How many trademarks have Anaheim, CA businesses registered over the years? Gerben Law Firm collected the following data.

*data was gathered from the USPTO’s public database

Types of Trademark Services We Offer

• Trademark Search Services
• Trademark Registration Services (filing services, application services)
• Trademark Renewal Services
• Trademark Monitoring Services (trademark protection services)
• Trademark Office Action Services
• Trademark Portfolio Management Services
• Trademark Opposition Proceeding Services
• Trademark Enforcement / Litigation Services

Additional Information on Trademark Registration for Anaheim Businesses

New business owners in Anaheim know that there are many steps to starting a successful business. From product development to finding a business location and hiring employees, the to-do list can seem never ending. However, while all of these steps are an important part of growing a new business, none will protect your brand from competitors. To do this, you must register your trademark with the UPSTO.

Consider this scenario: Leslie is a realtor in Anaheim with a keen business sense. She sees others finding financial success in flipping houses in the area, and she wants to jump into the game as well. Leslie partners with Joe, an experienced contractor in Anaheim, and they form a new house flipping business they call OC Renos, and get to work ordering yard signs, creating a website, and wrapping their vehicles in their new logo. At the same time, another realtor in the area is beginning the process to start his business, Orange Country Renovations. Unlike Leslie and Joe, he works with a trademark attorney to register his name and logo

Because the business names and services are so similar, the owner of Orange Country Renovations would be within his rights to ask the partners at OC Renos to change their name. Because they moved forward in branding their business without seeking trademark registration, Leslie and Joe have very little legal action to protect their business and may now have to spend additional time and money to rebrand.

Before you invest in your business, it’s important to begin the process to register your trademark. The experienced attorneys at Gerben Law Firm can assist you in conducting a comprehensive trademark search and securing federal trademark rights so that you can grow your business with confidence. Contact us today to learn more about obtaining and protecting your registered trademark.