Trademarking is an important stage of any new business to protect your brand identity.
We wanted to write about why we've done this, typically how long it takes and who should do it.
Securing a registered trademark protects your brand, and provides you with the tools to prevent someone using similar logo's or branding and riding off the back of your business. If you do not protect your brand by registering it, then you may find you are legally prevented from expanding your business.
Trademarking a brand is a timely process and you should definitely use a qualified trademark attorney to give you the best possibility of receiving the registered mark without any objections. The first thing they'll ask you is "what class to you want to register in"? There are 45 classes for trademarking and your business will fall in to at least one class, if not more. Typically, the more classes you file in, the higher the filing fee but the more protection you're likely to have over your brand. There is no need to file in classes which your brand do not plan to operate in but likewise, if your plans include growth in to another industry using the same brand, it's best to consider that now whilst you're looking to gain your trademark in all relevant classes. Otherwise you may find that further down the line you want to register in other classes and you cant because someone with a similar brand already owns a trademark in that class which may leave you with a headache and unprotected. Trademark filing typically takes 3-5 months depending on objections but your trademark attorney will do all of the hard work.
With your brand now registered, you are within your rights to take actions against parties who have attempted to register conflicting trademarks, or are operating with conflicting brands and damaging your business.
As your product or service becomes successful, the trademark itself starts to develop an intrinsic value. Business investors will assess whether you have taken the appropriate legal trademark protection to secure your brand.
Air-ly has officially received their trademark certificates for both stylised and word mark therefore gaining brand protection in the classes they filed.