legal, trademarkI recently formed an LLC and want to trademark by business name. I did a quick search on http://uspto.gov and didn’t find any conflicts. However, the site itself is rather confusing when it comes to applying for a name trademark.
So, I contacted a local attorney and they quoted me $2,500 to trademark my name. To me, this sounded extremely high, but I have no experience in the matter and am looking for advice from others who have gone through this process.
Any insight on how you registered your trademark and what it cost would be really appreciated. Thank you!
The quoted price for your trademark application is a typical amount. Note that there are ongoing costs in addition to the initial costs. Filing a trademark application is one of the least expensive legal expenses you will face as a company so be prepared for higher legal fees when you need attorneys for other things.
You could file a trademark application on your own if you really want to save money. You could also choose not to file a trademark application. The U.S. has common law trademark rights which gives you some protection without having to file anything. Just having the domain name for your trademark is a huge benefit.
As Jeff O. said, you can do it yourself. And you may have a circle of friends that can help – maybe a person or two can guide you or look over your shoulder to get thru the process. ( Old School thought… it will help to gather all your info and map out the steps on paper )
Also, ask some of your friends, acquaintances who have or run a small business – who they use for LEGAL SERVICES. Usually you can get a short consultation session. Further, there are reasonable/affordable legal services for Small Business where you SUBSCRIBE to an annual Fee ( I do not remember my friend’s SB service by name but you can *oogle for such services).
Related: NOLO online has a bunch of legal advice and possibly tools.
Angie’s List can help point you to legal (and other professional) resources.
You can take a chance and search/find legal services on craigslist locally.
Last and possibly most-helpful (if you live in a major city), you can get assistance from Small Business Association ( www.sba.gov )
Again, I think Jeff O. was right to point out… there will be several more opportunities in the future to hire legal gurus.
Good luck.
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