Should I trademark my business name? 9 reasons why you should

What is one reason why a business owner should trademark their business name?

Trademarking your business name takes time and effort and you may consider skipping the lengthy process. While trademarking your business name is not necessary, it is recommended for legal protection. To help small business owners understand the benefits of trademarking their business name, we asked entrepreneurs and business professionals this question for their best insights. From avoiding customer confusion to increasing recognition, there are several reasons why you should trademark your business name.

Here are nine reasons why you should trademark your business name:

Give Yourself Exclusive Rights to Your Products and Services
Strengthen Consumer Recognition and Market Penetration
Ensure Your Brand Isn’t Misused
Avoid Legal Trouble With Other Businesses
Increase Recognition With Trademarks
Improve Reputation Management
Consider Your Future Needs
Steer Clear of Customer Confusion
Circumvent Cybersquatting

Give Yourself Exclusive Rights to Your Products and Services

Customers connect trademarks with companies, so securing legal protection should be a top priority for every business owner. As an interior designer myself, incorporating a trademark provides me with the security of knowing I have exclusive rights to the products and services that I provide through the design firm I have established. Registering a trademark for your business does exactly that. It also simultaneously builds trust while strengthening your client and customer relationships. These benefits are what make protecting your business entity so important!

Alisha Taylor, Alisha Taylor Interiors

Strengthen Consumer Recognition and Market Penetration

I’ve been operating Markitors since August 2012. I was refused a trademark (which I applied myself) in 2017 on the basis of being merely descriptive. Since the rejection, we saw another company, “Digital Markitors,” start up and begin offering similar services. Copying the intentional misspelling of our company name has caused brand confusion in the marketplace, which inspired us to resume our effort to trademark our business name. It is likely that the USPTO will reject us based on genericness or descriptiveness as they did before, but we feel it is worth another try to help recognize our company’s establishment of consumer recognition and market penetration over the past 10 years.

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

Ensure Your Brand Isn’t Misused

Trademarking your business is not only a way to secure the name and use of the label, but is also a way to assure your brand name is not misused and misrepresented on the internet and outside of it. Also, having a trademark can give you more assurance and authority as a business owner as most of the trademarked brands and businesses are usually considered more serious when it comes to “talking business” than those that are not.

Rosi Ross, NHB

Avoid Legal Trouble With Other Businesses

The main reason to trademark your business name as soon as possible is to avoid legal trouble with other businesses. You may find out that the name you are trying to trademark is actually being used by another business, and they don’t want confusion with customers as much as you don’t either. While standing out is important, you also want to know if that name is associated with anything that might not be appealing or appropriate for your brand, which trademarking can help with. Names can be incredibly powerful, and the wrong one can take down a business quickly.

Matthew Mundt, Hug Sleep

Increase Recognition With Trademarks

Customers can easily find you thanks to trademarks. The market is crowded, and it’s difficult to set your company apart from the competition. Trademarks and brands are powerful commercial communication tools for capturing customer attention and distinguishing your company, products, and services. Customers who see a trademark immediately recognize who they’re dealing with and the company’s reputation, and they’re less likely to look for alternatives. Your brand could be the deciding factor in a customer’s decision to buy.

Oliver Andrews, OA Design Services

Improve Reputation Management

Reputation management is one good reason to trademark a business name. When other organizations or individuals can use similar names, you and your business are vulnerable to cases of mistaken identity. These outside parties can engage in shady practices, and the public or potential customers may incorrectly assume your approval or involvement. Without a trademark, you have little recourse or grounds to correct these kinds of misunderstandings. A business owner’s ultimate marketing goal is to have control of public perception and the narrative surrounding the brand. Trademarking means that you can focus on your own actions instead of monitoring and countering the behaviors of copycats.

Michael Alexis, TeamBuilding

Consider Your Future Needs

It’s a good idea to trademark your business name from the outset. Because, even if your new venture doesn’t take off right now, it may take flight in the future. Having trademarked your brand will ensure that no one else can swoop in and use it before you finally get that chance to get your business off the ground.

Harris Rabin, R3SET

Steer Clear of Customer Confusion

One of the biggest reasons to trademark your business name is to help avoid confusion for customers. Once you have secured your trademark, no one else can use it unless you give them permission. This is especially important if you are in a competitive industry. Sometimes competitors may try to use your business name in sneaky ways that can cause customers to be confused or misled. If you have a trademark, you have legal recourse to put an end to any use of your trademark that may confuse customers.

Eymel Daniel, ForChics

Circumvent Cybersquatting

Cybersquatting occurs when one party registers the domain name that another party has trademarked. This can be a nightmare for small businesses just getting started as this situation can actively direct customers away from their business. In other cases, domain registrants can ransom the domain name from the trademark owner. Either way, it’s a circumstance business owners can avoid by trademarking their business name from the start.

Nataly Vanunu, Boho-Magic

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