MEANING

As the term itself suggests, a "trademark" is a "mark" - a sign of recognition of the origin, manufacturer, or provider of products or services - which is used for the "trade" of such products or services. Hence, the word "trade-mark" or "trademark".

Commonly, a trademark is a word or a combination of words, or a symbol (logo that may include words or not) usually stamped on products, product boxes, tags, or shown on the header of websites, that helps consumers identify the origin, the manufacturer, or provider of the products or services. There are other types of trademarks, like sounds, smells, but these trademarks are not common.

Trademarks, you might have noticed, are everywhere you turn your head in modern countries.

POWER

A trademark, as hinted above, allows consumers to identify the origin of a product. Many and complex are the consequences of such a fact. Following are a couple of examples that, in simple words, will make you understand the importance of such a statement:
 
Would we ever know that a certain flat screen TV is a Sony, if the Sony trademark did not appear on the frame of that TV? Probably not. How many people would buy that TV without the trademark on it? Not many. Probably no one would buy it without knowing "what" they would buy. How many, instead, would buy the same TV just because of  the small Sony trademark on its frame? Surely many (and for good reasons). This is the point we want to make. That little logo, in some cases, especially when it contains the word "Sony", or any other famous trademark, is...yes...a "money making machine" for anyone who uses it. It is obvious, therefore, that Sony Corporation want to have exclusivity in the use of it, and prevent others from doing the same.

Also...wouldn't you make money if you put on the market a nice looking flat screen TV, and decided, even not being Sony Corporation, to use the trademark SONY for it, maybe just a little different in look? Indeed!  Many people would buy from you believing that you are the good Sony Corporation. Sony Corporation would loose money, and you (impersonal) would make (fraudulently) a lot of it, profiting from the great reputation that Sony Corporation has built among consumers with years of hard work, complex marketing efforts, and expenditure of vast amount of capital.

It is easy to understand the unfairness of this practice. It is also easy to imagine how quickly whoever would attempt to do this, would be called before a court by Sony Corporation to pay for damage and loss caused.

The above examples surely made you understand the value and power of trademarks, why diligent businesses spend a fortune to protect them, why protection is granted to trademarks by law, and registration systems have been developed in all countries.

AVOID TROUBLES

Sometimes infringement can be involuntary, not intentional, but still can create troubles to the infringer, and needs to be avoided. Diligent entrepreneurs for the sake of their enterprises, avoid to choose and put on the market trademarks that are confusingly similar to trademarks already established on it by having a comprehensive trademark availability search performed.

As well, you want to avoid to receive a "cease and desist" letter from an attorney gently asking you to shut down your website, change your trademark, or remove your product from the shelves of stores, and eventually pay damages because your trademark is confusingly similar to that of her/his client. This is something you always want to avoid.

TRADEMARK SERVICES

For the above said, the typical trademark services are: trademark availability searches, registrations, monitoring, and maintenance. Take a look at the "Trademark Services" we provide to avoid infringement problems, and protect your trademark. We give you options and the opportunity to run your business smoothly with a successful trademark; a trademark that is carefully chosen, quickly registered, well protected, and always alive.

>> Trademark services

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