There are various types of IP that comprise a brand—with trademarks being the focus here. A trademark is a specific aspect of your brand. It’s a word, phrase, acronym, graphical element, logo—and in some cases even a color (or combination of colors), sound, smell, shape, movement, or other type of sign or symbol—that customers learn to associate with your products and services. Over time, when your customers see your trademark, they learn to associate aspects of your products and services with it, including quality and reputation. It’s also the legal right to your brand.

• Trademarks help your customers distinguish your products and services from your competitors.
• Trademarks help you to build a customer base and customer loyalty.
• Trademarks ensure that competitors don’t steal, damage, or unfairly profit from your brand.

Trademarks can generate revenue for your business in many ways, including through licensing agreements. With all the time, money, and energy you spend developing your brand, you should think about protecting it through trademark registration. Here’s why:

• Registration strengthens your reputation in the market by showing care and business readiness, and that you are thinking long-term and strategically for your brand.
• Registration puts competitors and the consumer marketplace on notice of your brand rights and warns them they cannot copy or steal it.
• Registration allows you to keep competitors from trading on your name for your products or services (or those that are confusingly similar).
• Registration prevents others from applying to register the same or a confusingly similar mark, possibly avoiding costly litigation or negotiations to re-acquire your rights.
• Registration allows you to fight counterfeits that are trading under your brand name as well as unauthorized product sales in online marketplaces.
• Registration gives you the presumption that you are the owner of your trademark when there is a dispute, and it’s up to the other party to challenge the validity of your rights.