Physical storefronts aren’t going anywhere any time soon, but more and more brands have moved to the digital sphere to expand their business. With an online store, you can sell your products to customers all over the world with ease. Your customers can browse your selection and make purchases from the comfort of their own home. If you want to run a store in the 2020s, an online shop with a portfolio of brands protected by US trademark registrations is a necessity.
So is obtaining federal trademark registrations from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for your online store is a must. To really maximize your distinct presence in the marketplace it is important to think in terms of developing a portfolio of US trademark registrations that cover multiple aspects of your business, such as: the business name, names of types of services, products, slogans, logos, etc. Every US trademark registration is one more brand that competitors in your industry can’t use. Over time this can develop into a powerful portfolio.
Your Brand On a Global Scale
Every brand needs to obtain federal trademark registration in order to protect themselves from brand damage or any misappropriation of their brand. It’s one thing, however, to protect your local brand that might be known within your region but not well outside of it. It’s another to protect your ecommerce brand, which can be accessed by anyone online at any time.
When your store is on the world wide web, the risks to your intellectual property are vast. Your logo could be used by someone in a completely different country — or even continent. Your unique business name could be used in ways that you weren’t even aware of. With official trademark registration, you can take action against these incidents of IP theft. Without trademark registration, any internet user could pretend to be your company…and they may even do it convincingly. If you would like foreign trademark rights, then the attorneys at Garcia-Zamor can help you develop a strategy and make sure that the proper protections are put in place.
Growing Concerns of AI
Concerns about AI crop up every day. Book covers created by AI come under fire for utilizing copyrighted artwork, while streaming network executives muse about the idea of creating AI-generated TV shows as a way of resolving the WGA writer’s strike. This could also be a concern for your brand elements. If someone plugs them into an AI generator without your knowledge or consent, you could end up with AI generated posts, logos, and more that infringe on your trademarks. Again, with a registered trademark, this is something you can fight against and even prevent in the future.
What To Trademark For Your Online Store
So what should you obtain trademark registration for when you run an online store? Everything that represents your brand, as long as it falls within the guidelines of the USPTO. This includes:
- Your store name
- Any logos and slogans
- Unique designs
- Products
- Logos
- Line of products names
- Names of services or service plans
- Any unique product descriptions
Talk to a Garcia-Zamor attorney about everything you can and should trademark when it comes to your online store.
Monitor For Trademark Infringement
As mentioned above, the internet is limitlessly vast, and just about anyone on the internet has access to your brand. There’s a good chance that someone you’ve never heard of could copy your trademarked logos, slogans, or store names; you may not even be aware of it for months or years unless you actively look.
That’s why it’s important to actively look — or, more specifically, to have a Garcia-Zamor attorney actively look. When a Garcia-Zamor attorney monitors for trademark infringement, you can stop any instances you find in the early days before it leads to any brand damage. They can set up alerts and monitoring tools without taking away from your busy schedule.
If you wish for your store to be able to franchise or to greatly increase its valuation, then comprehensive branding protected by US trademark registrations, are vital. Need help obtaining federal trademark registrations at the USPTO or from foreign patent offices or monitoring trademark infringement for your online store? Contact Garcia-Zamor today to learn more or get started with us.
