Trademark Lawyer Bakersfield, CA

What is a trademark?

A trademark is generally defined as a “word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes a source of a particular set of goods from another.” Some common examples are the McDonald’s arches, the check-mark logo of Nike, and of course Apple iPhones' bitten Apple logo. Even colors can be trademarked, such as luxury jeweler Tiffany and Co.’s Tiffany blue.

What Do Trademarks Accomplish?

The purpose of a trademark is to distinguish a company within the marketplace. Distinct branding is often critically important to a company’s stability, potential for growth, and ability to retain customer loyalty. Think, for a moment, of what it is like to walk the soda aisle in a large grocery store. When you’re searching for your favorite brand, what are your eyes trying to spy? Chances are that you’re looking out for a particular color, font, and graphics combination that distinguishes Pepsi from Coke, Sierra Mist from Sprite, and Crush from Fanta. This is the power of branding. If every company was permitted to use whatever branding tools they liked, a startup could declare its product to be called “Coca Cola,” it could place its product in a red can with specialty white font and customers would not be able to spot the difference between their old-time favorite and the newcomer. This turn of events would make it harder for customers to get the products they wanted and harder for companies to retain the loyalty of those customers.

By working with the experienced team at Sierra IP Law, PC to formally trademark your branding tools, you will better ensure that your company’s products remain distinct in the marketplace. Additionally, our extensive trademark search process will help to ensure that in branding your product a certain way, your company is not unintentionally trampling upon the intellectual property rights of a competitor. You may not know—for example—that a bakery four states away is ALSO called “Happy Bellies” and brands itself in hot pink bubble font. By taking proactive steps with the assistance of our firm’s Bakersfield, CA trademark lawyer team, you can both strengthen your own branding efforts and reduce your company’s potential liability within the marketplace.

How Are Trademarks Different from Other Intellectual Property Protections?

The other three primary forms of intellectual property protection are patents, copyrights, and non-disclosure agreements. Non-disclosure agreements protect a company’s trade secrets. Copyrights govern the intellectual property rights of those who create unique “works of authorship.” Patents safeguard the use and profits associated with novel inventions, designs, and asexually reproducing plant species. The experienced California legal team at Sierra IP Law, PC can assist you with a broad intellectual property protection strategy that will safeguard all of your company’s intellectual property rights—from trademarks to patents and beyond.