Trademark Registration Law Summary

Once you decide on a suitable trademark, you should register your trademark with either the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (federal registration) or with the state or states in which you do business (state registration). Both types of registration will offer added protection with respect to trademark infringement, but federal registration is more desirable.

In this section, you'll find:

Advantages Of Federal Registration
Registering your trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has many advantages. Find out what they are.

Notice Of Registration
Find out exactly what the difference is between the ® and ™ symbols.

Applying For Federal Registration
Obtaining federal registration is not an easy process. Here are the basics.

Maintaining Your Federal Registration
There are certain things you must to do to keep your trademark on the books.

State Trademark Registration
If you cannot obtain federal registration for your trademark, you may be able to register it with your state.

Directory Of State Trademark Agencies
This is a list of state agencies to contact if you're interested in registering a trademark with a state.