We talk about it all the time. Nowadays in the Entertainment world, regardless of the field, your brand is your everything. You have to work to build it and you have to protect it.
How do you protect your brand?
Glad you asked! The essential step to protecting your brand (name, logo, slogan, sound) is to secure a trademark registration with the United States Trademark Office.
This will give you some recourse if people try to use your name.
For example Lady GaGa has been involved in a few legal disputes with companies trying to use her name. This type of situation an opposition would be filed.
How difficult is it to file a trademark?
What is the difference between a trademark and a copyright?
Well, my friends over at Music Industry How To asked me to answer some of these questions and more for their readers.
Even though the article is geared towards trademarking musician’s names, it can be applied to any person or company that is a brand(for example ‘Octomom’, ‘Snooki’, and ‘The Situation’ from Jersey Shore have all secured trademark registrations).
A common misconception is that you can protect a name by itself. Your name or logo must be related to a good or service, such as recorded music, consulting services, or clothing.
So if you want to get a step-by-step on how the trademarking process works, click below to read the full article.
This article is for informational purposes only.
The process looks relatively simple, however mistakes can cause your application to be refused.
I recommend that you consult your attorney before actually filing.