How To Protect A Brand Name

Protect Your Name
Provided courtesy of www.GrowthPanel.com
Note – This is one from a sequence of exercises from the Naming subject outlined in the Strategic Marketing
Process eBook. Download the free e-book www.growthpanel.com/marketing-tools/index.html and subscribe
to this subject at www.growthpanel.com/versions/get-started.html to download from Growth Panel’s
Intelligent Marketing Platform.
Some of the graphics in this PDF might not display properly.
Please note that these are general recommendations and don’t replace the legal advice of your attorney.
Once you have a list of names, you’ll need to research their availability. First, review this background
information about trademarks, servicemarks, and legal protection:
TRADE NAMES AND MARKS
Trademark law is the primary method for protecting the words and symbols that identify products and
services. Trademarks help to
Prevent businesses from using the creativity of others in naming and distinguishing services and
products
Prevent customers from confusion about names that are misleadingly similar
TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE PURSUE?

Trade name A name, word, term or symbol, or combination Microsoft Yes
that identifies a company or entity name.
Trademark A name, word, term or symbol, or combination Word, Excel, Yes
that identifies a product. etc.
Servicemark A name, word, term or symbol, or combination AFL-CIO Yes

that identifies service.
The rest of this section refers to all three simply as Trademarks.
The United States Trademark & Patent Office (USPTO) grants federal protection for trademarks in the United
States. Companies may gain approval for the same name if they are in different industries, but typically not if
there is overlap between their businesses.
PROTECTING YOUR NAME
Protect Your Name page 1 of 5 www.GrowthPanel.com

You don’t necessarily have to file a trademark, but doing so will help you to:
Ensure that you do not receive a cease-and-desist letter from an existing trademark holder, which
could be expensive to fight and could force you to change your name again. For example, if you
name your company Crest Dental Supplies, Proctor and Gamble may take legal action against you
because they own a trademark for Crest toothpaste, which could be considered a dental supply
product.
Ensure that you can prevent another company from using your name and causing confusion, lost
revenue, or lost potential for expansion.
The more generic your name, the more difficult it is to trademark.
YOUR NAME EXAMPLE

NAME TYPE PROTECTABILITY
TYPE?
Created names Google, Kleenex Very good because a
created name is less likely to
have been used before
Expressive and Target (store), Camel Good because the names
experiential names (cigarettes) are less likely to have been
used in your context before
Descriptive names Easy Diet, Accurate Difficult because terms are
Accounting common and generic
Noun names Skateboard, car Non-existent
The “availability” of a name also depends on the name itself, your state, your product/service, and the locations in which
you’re selling (your market).
In many states, your name is protected in your state once you file it with your corporation commission or
secretary of state. Common law may also protect your name once you start using it in commerce.
Most intellectual property attorneys would recommend that every company ALWAYS complete stages 1-5 in
the exercise that follows this section; however, many smaller companies don’t do a rigorous check because
they either don’t believe it’s necessary or can’t afford to do so.
To understand what you should do at an absolute minimum, review these variables and check off which
categories apply to your company, then move forward with AT LEAST the minimum steps listed.
Minimum steps you

Market (locations in which you’re trying to sell) Relevant?
should complete
Local metropolitan area 1, 2, 3
Your state only 1, 2, 3

US 1, 2, 3
Worldwide 1, 2, 3, 4
Advertising Strategy
Minimum steps you should
Which channels will you use to promote your Relevant?
complete
products/services?
Internet but only small scale, very local (local 1, 2, 3
listings, extremely targeted paid search,
banners on local sites, etc.)
All other local advertising 1, 2, 3
More significant internet promotion (beyond 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

solely local)
Other national / international campaigns 1, 2, 3, 4
CONFLICT CHECK
Now perform the steps listed for each potential name. Copy this box for as many names as you need.
NAME
STEP DESCRIPTION LIST POTENTIAL CONFLICTS HERE

1 Internet search for URL and
name availability. Check
major endings: .com, .net,
.org, etc.
2 Search the major search

engines to find other
companies with similar
names. Review their sites
and note their industry – if
they’re in a similar business,
you have a conflict.
3 Check your state’s

Corporation Commission or
Secretary of State for name
availability.

NAME
STEP DESCRIPTION LIST POTENTIAL CONFLICTS HERE
4 Check the U.S. Patent and

Trade Office’s
website: www.uspto.gov for
similar trademarks and/or
service marks. If you find a
mark for your name and it’s
in a similar industry, move
on.
5 Have your attorney run a

complete name search,
which will outline every
company using your selected
name with both common law
and federally registered
protection.*
Should you continue on with Yes No

this name?
*Typical costs for a report of this nature are $500 to $2,000 plus attorneys’ fees for their analyses and
recommendations. Weigh this cost against the risk of receiving a “cease and desist” letter for any potential infringement.
Speak with an intellectual property attorney or visit www.uspto.gov to trademark your name.
POTENTIAL RESULTS OF CONFLICTS
If another entity has obtained federal protection for a registered trademark and its lawyers feel you might be
infringing on that trademark, they could potentially send you a “cease and desist” letter requesting that you
stop using the name.
Here are your typical options at that point:
WHICH
WOULD I OPTION POTENTIAL RESULT POTENTIAL COSTS
CHOOSE?
Ignore and do nothing You might be sued for Legal costs could be from $10,000 to
copyright infringement $100,000s, depending on the size of
the parties

Stop immediately You will have to rename and All new marketing materials, which
rebrand can easily run from $5,000 to
$100,000, plus the brand equity you
will have lost
Fight in court You can enter into a potential The most expensive option if you lose,
lengthy court battle where as many cases take five to ten years
the outcome is unpredictable and cost $100,000s to $1,000,000s
Once again, note that these are general recommendations and do not replace the legal advice of your attorney.
RESULTS
Which names are still in contention?
REMAINING NAMES COMMENTS
NAMES ELIMINATED REASON

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Protect Your Name

Provided courtesy of www.GrowthPanel.com

Some of the graphics in this PDF might not display properly.

TRADE NAMES AND MARKS

TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE PURSUE?

Servicemark A name, word, term or symbol, or combination AFL-CIO Yes

The rest of this section refers to all three simply as Trademarks.

PROTECTING YOUR NAME

Protect Your Name page 1 of 5 www.GrowthPanel.com

The more generic your name, the more difficult it is to trademark.

YOUR NAME EXAMPLE

Noun names Skateboard, car Non-existent

Minimum steps you

Your state only 1, 2, 3

Protect Your Name page 2 of 5 www.GrowthPanel.com

More significant internet promotion (beyond 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

STEP DESCRIPTION LIST POTENTIAL CONFLICTS HERE

2 Search the major search

3 Check your state’s

Protect Your Name page 3 of 5 www.GrowthPanel.com

STEP DESCRIPTION LIST POTENTIAL CONFLICTS HERE

4 Check the U.S. Patent and

5 Have your attorney run a

Should you continue on with Yes No

POTENTIAL RESULTS OF CONFLICTS

Here are your typical options at that point:

Protect Your Name page 4 of 5 www.GrowthPanel.com

Which names are still in contention?

REMAINING NAMES COMMENTS

NAMES ELIMINATED REASON

Protect Your Name page 5 of 5 www.GrowthPanel.com

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