Skip to content
(406) 555-0147
Arvanitis Law
Start a filing
Start a filing

Trademarks

A name that only you can sell under

A registered trademark is the right to stop others selling under a name or logo that customers could confuse with yours, everywhere the law reaches.

Most of my trademark work is for small brands: a coffee roaster, a clothing label, a software studio, a podcast. We start with a search, so you learn about a conflict before you have paid for packaging, and we file only the classes you need.

What this covers

  • Business and product names

  • Logos and design marks

  • Taglines

  • Office action responses

  • Renewals and maintenance filings

  • Cease-and-desist letters

A fanned row of orange file folders with a single blue folder edge showing among them

From idea to registration

A federal application usually takes about a year from filing to registration. Here is what happens in it.

  1. 01

    Step 1: Search

    I search the registers and the market, and send a written opinion within a week.

  2. 02

    Step 2: File

    You review the application before it goes in. You get the serial number the same day.

  3. 03

    Step 3: Examination

    An examiner reviews it, often months later. If they raise an issue, I answer it.

  4. 04

    Step 4: Registration

    Once it publishes and no one opposes, it registers. I calendar every renewal.

Trademark work, at a flat fee

See every fee

  • Clearance search

    Federal, state and common-law search with a written opinion.

  • Application

    Drafting, filing and one office action response.

  • Further office action

    Quoted and agreed before I write it.

  • Cease-and-desist letter

    A firm letter to someone using your mark, and one follow-up.

USPTO filing fees are separate and passed through at cost.

Trademark questions

Should I register my business name or my logo first?

Usually the name. It protects the words however they are styled, while a logo registration protects only that design. Many brands file the name first and the logo once it settles.

Can I use the ® symbol now?

Only after the mark registers with the USPTO. Until then you can use ™, which claims the mark without saying it is registered.

Is an LLC name the same as a trademark?

No. Forming an LLC reserves the name on the state's business list. It does not give you the right to stop someone else selling under it.