Northport Trademark Attorneys & Lawyers

What is a Trademark and What is a Copyright?

A trademark and a copyright are both types of intellectual property protection that afford a way to defend against unauthorized use. While trademarks and copyrights both relate to intellectual property, each protects a different type of asset. Trademark and copyright registrations and the associated laws vary internationally. For this article, all information is for the United States unless specifically noted otherwise.

Copyright

A copyright protects original, creative works fixed in a tangible medium. This includes books, movies, songs, photos, artistic creations, web content, choreography, poetry, and writing. Th

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What is a Trade Secret?

A trade secret is any information about a business that could give a competitive advantage to another person or business. It is something that is not generally known or easily obtainable by others which can include confidential manufacturing, industrial, or commercial information.

A trade secret can also be described as valuable and exclusive knowledge that created by the work of a person or a company that has an economic interest in keeping it. This is usually because the owner gains a competitive advantage in the marketplace as a result of the trade secret.

A trade secret is defined very broadly and can include any of the following:

• formulas
• practices
• processes
• designs
• instruments
• patterns
• algorithms
• commercial methods, such as distribution or sales methods
• advertising strategies
• lists of suppliers or clients, or consumer profil

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What is a Trademark?

A trademark helps protect a symbol, logo, phrase, domain name, design, or word that's associated with your product or business name. A trademark is different from a patent because it doesn't protect an actual product or design on a product. The trademark prevents other companies from using your logo, design, phrase, symbol, domain name, or word as their own.

How Do I File a Trademark?

1. Finalize the design

The first step in the process of trademarking is deciding on your idea. If you have several logos, symbols, or words, decide on the one you like best. You should keep the others as backups, in case your top choice isn't eligible for a trademark.

As you finalize your design, think about a few importan

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What Is a Cease and Desist Letter?

A cease and desist letter does not automatically signify a lawsuit. It is simply a warning about illegal behavior that lets you know that further penalties could follow if the behavior, such as patent infringement, doesn't stop.

Here are some ways it is possible to violate the intellectual property of another:

• Plagiarizing someone's work
• Using an invention without the right to access it
• Engaging in illegal or suspicious activity that involves someone's work

The first step that you can take to address these issues is to send a cease and desist letter. This letter puts the person in violation on notice that they are engaging in illegal use of a property. It advises them to stop, or further action

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What is Trademark Clothing?

Trademark clothing is when the designer's name or fashion company is inextricably linked to the clothing itself. This includes having the trademark on the tag or emblazoned on the piece of clothing.

The process of trademarking clothing is complex. There are several steps to take when filing for a clothing trademark, and even more questions you'll have to ask yourself throughout the process.

Why is Trademarking Clothing Important?

Clothing lines and fashion designers need to protect their brands, names, slogans, and logos. They do this by obtaining valuable trademarks. Brand-name clothing and fashion is important because it denotes a level of quality to the customer.

Your clothing line must be unique with an original name, slogan, and logo in order to qualify for trademark protection. Generic or descriptive n

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