Trademarks protect words, names, symbols, sounds, or colors that distinguish goods and services from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods. Trademarks, unlike patents, can be renewed forever as long as they are being used in commerce.

If you are ready to apply for a new trademark, we strongly recommend to contact an attorney who is experienced in trademark prosecution. An attorney who has better understanding of IP Law may prosecute your application for trademark registration.

No. But you can obtain trademark protection in a number of countries by filing a single "international application" under the Madrid Protocol.

You may challenge use of your trademark by someone else in several ways, depending on the factual situation. You should consider contacting an attorney specialized in trademark law. Local bar associations and phone directories usually have attorney listings broken down by specialties. Time can be of the essence.

Only the owner of the trademark may file an application for registration. The owner controls the use of the mark, and controls the nature and quality of the goods to which it is affixed, or the services for which it is used. The owner may be an individual, corporation, other types.

The two main costs involved in a trademark application would be the official filing fees and your patent agent's fees (if you engage one). The total cost varies from case to case depending on the approach you take and the complexity of the case.

No. You can establish rights in a mark based on use of the mark in commerce, without a registration. However, owning a federal trademark registration on the Principal Register provides several important benefits.

A service mark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than goods. The term "trademark" is often used to refer to both trademarks and service marks.

A certification mark is any word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination thereof owned by one party who certifies that the goods/services of others meet certain standards. The owner of the mark controls over the use of the mark. The sole purpose of a certification mark is to indicate that certain standards have been met while use of the mark is acted by other parties.

A collective mark is any word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination thereof owned by a cooperative, an association, or other collective group or organization and used by its members to indicate the source of the goods or services.

You can use the ® symbol after the status of your mark has been updated as "Registered".

The Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol) is an international treaty that allows a trademark owner to seek registration in any of the countries that have joined the Madrid Protocol by filing a single application, called an "international application." The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland administers the international registration system. The resulting "international registration" serves as a means for seeking protection in member countries, each of which apply their own rules and laws to determine whether or not the mark may be protected in their jurisdiction. Neither the Madrid Protocol nor the Madrid Agreement provide for registration of an "internationally effective" trademark.

A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor. Patents are granted for new, useful and non-obvious inventions for a period of 20 years from the filing date of apatent application, and provide the right to exclude others from exploiting the invention during that period.

Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights are three types of intellectual property protection. They are different and serve different purposes. Patents protect inventions, and improvements to existing inventions. Trademarks include any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. Service marks include any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce, to identify and distinguish the services of one provider from services provided by others, and to indicate the source of the services. Copyrights protect literary, artistic, and musical works. For general information, publications and other copyright related topics.

An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition or process. The invention process is a process within an overall engineering and product development process. ... The rules and requirements for patenting an invention vary from country to country and the process of obtaining a patent is often expensive.

A utility model is an intellectual property right to protect inventions. This right is available in a number of national statutes, as described below. It is very similar to the patent, but usually has a shorter term (often 6 to 15 years), shorter grant lag and less stringent patentability requirements.

Industrial design is a process of design applied to products that are to be manufactured through techniques of mass production.

The two main costs involved in a patent application would be the official filing fees and your patent agent's fees (if you engage one). The total cost varies from case to case depending on the approach you take and the complexity of the case. 

It is the inventor who has the right to apply for a patent for an invention. However, the right to apply for a patent can be transferred to another person – physically or legally (assignment). The applicant referred to in a patent application can, therefore, be one or more people or companies.

There are two treaties that provide for international protection. One is the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property which governs 140 participating countries and the other Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) which governs over 100 member countries. 

No, an idea of a new invention alone cannot be patented. To qualify for patent protection, an invention has to be applied to a product or process and has to fulfil other criteria such as being new, involving an inventive step and be capable of industrial application.

The patent application process is complex. If you are ready to apply for a patent, we strongly advise you contact to a registered patent attorney or agent. Only registered attorneys and agents may help others to obtain patents.

A copyright protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.  The duration of copyright protection depends on several factors.

The two main costs involved in a copyright application would be the official filing fees and your patent agent's fees (if you engage one). The total cost varies from case to case depending on the approach you take and the complexity of the case.

Only the author of an original work or someone who has obtained rights from the author can register a copyright.

First, you should determine if your work that has been copied is protected by copyright law. Next, you should determine whether you actually own the rights to the work. Even though the person has used your work, they might have a successful fair use defense. This means that their use of your work is not illegal.