united-kingdom, trademarkHere in the UK they allow us, only once, to trademark a name, logo, a phrase, and combination of these three. My situation right now:
Name and Logo: Well the name is already registered on the Internet. So for example now I have example.com and example.co.uk. The name of my company is also the same as the domain (e.g., example LTD). I also designed a logo for it. I did my research and I’m very pleased with the design.
Uncertainty On The Phrase: I think this one is a slippery slope, because as you all know things might change and I don’t want to stock with a phrase for a business that might go in another direction.
My Dilemma: If I want to use the name of the domain with the logo, then it means I need to decide on the font I’m using with the logo, which later on I can’t change. In the other hand, if I don’t trademark the word “example” for my domain (example.com) then somebody else might trademark that.
Word marks are far more important than logo marks. Definitely trademark your name. If you have the budget for it then you could file another application to get a trademark for your logo. In the grand scheme of things, trademarks are quite cheap.
Here is an article that elaborates on the importance of word marks over design marks: http://www.erikpelton.com/2012/01/30/trademark-tip-words-vs-logo/
By phrase, do you mean a slogan? It is hard to get trademark protection for a slogan in the US. I’m not familiar with UK law…
(I’m assuming that you should get a trademark in the first place… Many smaller companies operate without registering a trademark, but that is the topic of another question.)
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