September 3, 2026 Hello Reader, The filing route for many U.S. businesses seeking international trademark protection is changing. Beginning October 1, 2026, WIPO’s Madrid e-Filing system will become the single place to file a new international trademark application based on a U.S. application or registration. During the transition period from July 31 through September 30, applicants can use either Madrid e-Filing or the existing TEASi system. After September 30, new outbound Madrid...
7 days ago • 2 min read
August 27, 2026 Hello Reader, Businesses change legal structure more often than their trademark records do. A founder files a trademark personally. Later, the founder forms an LLC. A corporation changes its name. Two companies merge. A business sells a product line. A holding company is created. The brand continues operating without interruption. But the USPTO record may still list the old owner. That mismatch can stay hidden for years. It often appears at the worst possible time: During a...
14 days ago • 2 min read
August 20, 2026 Hello Reader, Business owners often ask one trademark question as if it were two: Can I register this name? They usually mean: Can I use this name without creating a serious conflict? Those questions are related. But they are not the same. Registrability asks whether the USPTO is likely to approve the mark for federal registration. Freedom to use asks whether adopting and using the mark is likely to interfere with someone else’s rights. A name can be difficult to register...
21 days ago • 2 min read
August 13, 2026 Hello Reader, A slogan printed on a shirt may feel like a trademark. Customers can see it. The wording may be original. The company may have sold hundreds of shirts bearing the phrase. There may even be photographs, online orders, and years of use. But visibility and sales do not automatically make the wording a trademark. The key question is how customers encounter the slogan. Do they see it as identifying the source of the clothing? Or do they see it as the decoration on the...
28 days ago • 2 min read
August 6, 2026 Hello Reader, A trademark registration can remain exactly the same while the business changes around it. The company adds a new product. The service expands into a new market. The logo is redesigned. The business reorganizes under a different entity. A website becomes an app. A local brand begins selling nationwide. None of those changes automatically updates the federal trademark record. That can create a gap between what the business is doing today and what the registration...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
July 30, 2026 Hello Reader, A trademark filing can feel like the finish line. The application is submitted. The receipt arrives. The serial number is issued. The owner can finally say, “We filed.” That is a good step. But it is not the end of the process. It is the beginning of the federal review process. After filing, the application waits to be examined. A USPTO examining attorney then reviews the application to determine whether it meets the legal requirements for registration. Several...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
July 23, 2026 Hello Reader, Many risky trademarks look safe at first. That is because most people search for the wrong thing. They search for the exact same name. If nothing identical appears, they feel comfortable. But trademark conflicts are not limited to exact matches. The Trademark Office looks at likelihood of confusion. That analysis can involve the marks, the goods or services, the channels of trade, the customers, and the overall commercial impression. That means a conflict can exist...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
July 16, 2026 Hello Reader, Many founders think trademark classes are mostly about cost. That is understandable. Each additional class can increase the government filing fee, so the class decision feels like a pricing decision. But it is also a protection decision. A trademark registration does not protect a name in the abstract. It protects a mark in connection with specific goods or services. That means the way the application describes the business matters. A clothing company, software...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
July 9, 2026 Hello Reader, One of the most important trademark filing questions is also one of the easiest to answer incorrectly: Are you already using the trademark? That question sounds casual. It is not. In a trademark application, “use” has a legal meaning. It is not just having an idea. It is not just reserving a domain name. It is not just designing a logo. It is not just posting a teaser on social media. For many goods, use generally means the mark is placed on the goods, packaging,...
2 months ago • 2 min read